iPhone.AppStormhttp://iphone.appstorm.netiPhone Apps Reviews, Roundups, How-To's and Moreen-USThu, 17 Jul 2014 11:40:14 GMTThu, 17 Jul 2014 11:40:14 GMT30hourly12014-07-18T08:34:59ZIphoneappstormhttps://feedburner.google.comAppStorm Closing Shophttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/35885dc0/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Cgeneral0Cappstorm0Enews0Cappstorm0Eclosing0Eshop0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2014/01/Mac.jpg" alt="" /> Four years ago I had the idea to build a blog network dedicated to reviewing and rounding up apps. We started with Mac apps and then quickly expanded to additional channels covering iOS, Android, Windows and Web apps. While the network has been successful in traffic and audience, reaching some 100m+ visitors over the four [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/35885dc0/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/186528187774/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/35885dc0/a2t.img" border="0"/>AppStorm NewsnewsSun, 05 Jan 2014 22:50:49 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/general/appstorm-news/appstorm-closing-shop/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50370Four years ago I had the idea to build a blog network dedicated to reviewing and rounding up apps. We started with Mac apps and then quickly expanded to additional channels covering iOS, Android, Windows and Web apps. While the network has been successful in traffic and audience, reaching some 100m+ visitors over the four years, it’s ultimately not fit within our broader company mission. So I’m here today to announce that unfortunately after four years of app guidance, we’re closing AppStorm down.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/general/appstorm-news/appstorm-closing-shop/feed/Joel FalconerPushpin: King of the Pinboard Clientshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cinternet0Ereviews0Cpushpin0Eking0Eof0Ethe0Epinboard0Eclients0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Pushpin_Logo.png" alt="" /> I’m currently in the throes of consolidating as much of my information and workflows as possible, all the while, pruning redundant apps and services. In that respect, I’ve found myself using Pinboard increasingly more, not only for archival of my bookmarks but also for content discovery and as a read later service. Therefore, I&#8217;ve been [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842660973/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/356bc2ee/a2t.img" border="0"/>pinboardPushpinInternetTue, 31 Dec 2013 22:00:29 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/pushpin-king-of-the-pinboard-clients/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50356I’m currently in the throes of consolidating as much of my information and workflows as possible, all the while, pruning redundant apps and services. In that respect, I’ve found myself using Pinboard increasingly more, not only for archival of my bookmarks but also for content discovery and as a read later service.

Therefore, I’ve been on a quest to find the best Pinboard client for iOS. Having sample a myriad of apps such as Pinner,Pinswift, Pinbrowser, Pinbook and Pincase (to name just a few) I now turn my attention to Pushpin to see how it fairs.

UI & Usage

Pushpin’s UI, dominated by greys and subtle gradients, is simple and elegant. Although out of place in a post iOS 7 world, I find it doesn’t feel as stale as other apps and therefore is still pleasant to use (a major refresh is already in the works though).

Pushpin’s subtle UI doesn’t feel as stale as other apps that have not yet transitioned to an iOS 7 look.

Bookmarks are presented in a table view. Their title taking prominent focus, with tags and description in a more subdued colour and unlike other clients, Pushpin doesn’t truncated the bookmark’s title or description. I tend to prefer this approach since it allows me to view more information in a quick glance.

Tags and description can be disabled in the settings for a more spartan look.

For the most part, Pushpins operation is pretty straightforward. Tap on a bookmark to open it. Swipe left to delete, tap and hold for more options such as copy URL, mark as read, edit and delete. What isn’t immediately apparent however, is that tapping on a tag will filter the bookmark list. This allows me quickly drill down, tag after tag until I pinpoint exactly the desired set of bookmarks (I can also save this as a feed for later).

Alternatively, pulling down on the list reveals the Pushpin’s rather powerful search field. Not only does it search the URL, title, description and tags but it allows me to combine search terms using AND, OR and NOT to further refine my search (I’d love to be able to save these search terms to reuse time and time again, but that is a minor detail).

Pushpin’s advanced search make finding my bookmarks a breeze.

Pushpin has three main sections of note: The bookmark list, the tag browser and Community Streams. These can be accessed from the browse menu (swipe right or tap on the back button). From here I can choose to view all my bookmarks or just my private, public, unread, untagged or starred bookmarks. I can also tap on the tag icon to access the tag browser or finally, choose any of the community streams available as well as access my saved feeds.

The Tag browser

Just like the bookmark list, the tag browser presents me with a table view of every available tag. Beside each tag is a number indicating how many bookmarks have the tag assigned. This list can be searched and filtered allowing me to quickly access the set or sub-set of desired tags. There is also an alphabetical index for quick access.

A filtered view of the tag browser allows me to drill down on what I’m looking for.

Community Streams

Community streams are where I can access my network’s bookmarks or popular Pinboard streams such as Fandom, Wikipedia or Popular bookmarks. Given that I normally just use Network and Saved Feeds, I would’ve liked to have the ability to disable the remainder (akin to what is possible in Pinswift).

I’ve mentioned saved feeds a few times without explaining what they are. If you’ve used Pinbrowser before, then a saved feed won’t be anything new. In essence, it’s a saved search. I can search for every bookmark from a specific user or with a specific tag and save that search for later. Creating a saved feed is rather easy and there are two different ways of achieving this. Either by browsing my network’s bookmarks, filtering by a tag and tapping save or by navigating to Saved Feeds, tapping + and entering the desired search terms.

Saved feeds where I almost always discover great content.

Unfortunately, there is no way of editing a saved feed once it’s been created and it’s also not possible to use the OR operator meaning that I’d have to create multiple saved searches if I wanted to see bookmarks saved by macdrifter about pythonista OR automation OR drafts.

URL Scheme Delight

Automation fans won’t be disappointed with Pushpin. It’s URL scheme allows me to easily add new bookmarks and optionally assign a title and description, tags and set it private or unread.

I can also view a particular feed (just like a saved search). This means I can leverage the power of apps such as Drafts or Launch Center Pro, to create a set of feeds for quick access.

Finally, Pushpin has a URL scheme to open a specific URL in it’s built in browser. This is great since it has one of the better mobilisers I’ve seen so far, correctly identifying code sections where others fail.

Improvements

As a reviewer for AppStorm, I feel it’s my duty to point out any flaws or faults and app may have. On rare occasions however, I’m hard pressed to find any.

Such is the case with with Pushpin. The only other minor quibbles I have (besides what I’ve already mentioned), is that when Pushpin prompts me to add a URL in the clipboard as a bookmark, it doesn’t show me the URL and the fact that batch edit is limited to delete operation.

There are however a few items on my wish list. For one, I’d love to see iCloud sync for my saved feeds and given that I’m using Pinboard as my read later service, I’d also like to be ability to set the default feed for when Pushpin opens.

I’ve been told that my wishes just may come true in the next update, so stay tuned for that.

Well Worth the Price Tag

Although it’s currently the most expensive Pinboard client in the App Store, it’s also the fastest and most feature full. It has a few unique aspects others lack, such as access to personal notes (although I can’t edit or add new notes).

If you were to ask me wether I’d recommend Pushpin, the answer would be a big, resounding yes! The bottom line is – if you only buy one Pinboard client for iOS, then I’d recommend Pushpin.

What’s your favourite client? Sound off in the comments.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/pushpin-king-of-the-pinboard-clients/feed/Pedro LoboFantastical 2: My Utility App of the Yearhttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Clifestyle0Cfantastical0E20Emy0Eutility0Eapp0Eof0Ethe0Eyear0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-30-at-3.51.57-PM.png" alt="" /> I’ve long been a proponent of natural language parsing in calendar apps. In 2013, it’s a genuine surprise to me when a modern calendar application doesn’t allow you to type your schedule in naturally. If I’m going to a play on Friday (which I am), I want to be able to type “Tim’s play on [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578675/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe7f/a2t.img" border="0"/>FantasticalicloudtodosFantastical 2LifestylecalendarRemindersGoogle CalendarTue, 31 Dec 2013 19:00:11 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/fantastical-2-my-utility-app-of-the-year/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=48652I’ve long been a proponent of natural language parsing in calendar apps. In 2013, it’s a genuine surprise to me when a modern calendar application doesn’t allow you to type your schedule in naturally. If I’m going to a play on Friday (which I am), I want to be able to type “Tim’s play on Friday from 7:30–9:30” in the event creation field and have the event ready to go. Calendar.app has this all wrong, and Fantastical wiped its clock clean when it debuted with natural language parsing last year.

But now there’s Fantastical 2. More than just a re-skin, it brings some great new features and enhancements to the table. At this point, though, Fantastical isn’t alone. It’s also dealing with contenders like Horizon and Calendars 5 by Readdle, both of which bring their own unique tricks to the table. Despite that, though, Fantastical isn’t just king of the calendar throne, it’s also my most-used app every day. It’s the one that manages everything for me now, and it’s an automatic must for me for anybody I know with an iPhone. Read on to find out what makes this not just a great update, but one of the best iPhone apps available and my pick for the best utility app of the year.Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.

The Day Ticker and Natural Language Parsing

Fantastical’s interface comes from the Day Ticker, which most of us are probably familiar with. It’s a custom UI, which means it’s not using any of Apple’s stock elements, and it sits on the top of your list and is always ready to go. With Fantastical 2, that hasn’t changed. What has changed, however, is that the current day is no longer the middle day on the Day Ticker. It’s now on the far left. If you think about it, that makes much more sense — Fantastical was a little too focused on the events that already passed before. This is smarter.

There’s a new Light Theme in Fantastical 2.

You’ll also notice two other changes with Fantastical 2. The first is that the interface has been given some slight adjustments. I do mean slight. This still looks very similar to the original; unlike Tweetbot, it didn’t need to change its entire personality. That being said, it does look fresher and it certainly fits in more with iOS 7. The textures are largely gone and the colours are a bit bolder, all of which is great. There’s also a new row above the stock keyboard with numbers on it, a colon, and a slash. I haven’t gotten used to this yet and still hit the 123 key on the stock keyboard for special characters when I’m adding a date and time, but it’s a handy feature.

The other change you’re going to notice is the addition of a new Light Theme. Personally, I think this is just a little too white for my tastes. I like the contrast between the Day Ticker and the list of upcoming events with the standard colours, but on a very bright day, I can see the Light Theme becoming useful. It’s certainly beautiful.

The keyboard has been extended, which is hard to get used to but very nice.

The Natural Language Parsing is becoming better in all the right ways too. NLP now works over multiple days and can handle requests like “Burger night every Monday from 6–9pm at Symposium until December 1st.” I’d call that pretty spectacular. What works great about this system is that Fantastical reveals what it’s adding to your calendar with some visual cues while you type. This is exactly what the first Fantastical does as well — it’s unchanged — but it’s still gorgeous and really handy. This is an instructional user interface, and easily the best NLP in the business.

It’s worth mentioning, of course, that Horizon and Calendars 5 both use NLP as well. Calendars 5 needs work — it’s very obviously the Readdle team’s first go at NLP — and Horizon finds it difficult to handle events that end at midnight. If you’re a night owl like me, you’ll find that Horizon isn’t as functional as Fantastical. Neither of these apps support visual cues.

Reminders

Like Calendars 5, Fantastical 2 supports Reminders integration. This is the big new feature of the app. I have to admit, it’s nice to see a paid iOS 7 update that’s not just a re-skinning of an iOS 6 app. I’m happy to pay the cost no matter what, but I’m considering the Reminders integration a huge perk. And trust me, it is a huge perk.

Reminders are really handy to have built into the app.

Reminders hasn’t just been integrated in Calendars 5 and Fantastical 2, but also in Agenda 4. I don’t think Calendars 5 and Agenda 4 handle it properly. Both of them display reminder alerts for an event, even if you’ve already completed it. It’s an inconvenience. There’s a ton of other little things they get wrong, but for the user, what it amounts to are a series of minor frustrations: “why isn’t this reminder getting added properly? Why am I being reminded to to this again? Why can’t I manage my other reminders from this app?”

It’s frustrating. That’s why I’m really happy to say that Fantastical alleviates this issue. Adding a reminder is quick and easy, and it supports Natural Language Processing as well. When adding an event, it takes one tap to create a reminder instead of an event. As another bonus, you can simply start creating a reminder by typing “todo” into the event creation field. When you type “todo,” Fantastical automatically changes your event to a reminder. Other words, like “due,” also trigger the same thing. It’s great.

The amount of Reminders functionality built into Fantastical means that it’s easy to push the stock app off your home screen.

Similarly, Fantastical uses the same visual cues for reminder creation as it does for events, so you always know when you’re scheduling your todos. I don’t think this system is perfect, though. I wanted to remind myself to work on an assignment tomorrow night, but when I said “Tomorrow night” in the reminder creation field, that information was ignored and my event was created for 9am that day. It’s not quite as flawless as the event creation mode. Of course, you can manually edit it, but that’s not as easy.

That being said, Fantastical’s Reminders integration is so complete that I don’t think there’s many reasons to keep the stock Reminders.app on my home screen anymore. Organizing the Reminders by list (turned off by default) allows you to, with the tap of a button, see your Reminders lists the same as you would in the stock app. You can easily peruse each list and add to it, without problems. You can set default Reminders lists and add an event to any of your lists right within that part of the app.

The built-in monthly view also reveals how many todos are due in a day.

Adding a reminder within one your lists doesn’t pop up the same Reminder Creation field with NLP, though. Instead, you’ll add reminders just like you would in the stock app. Type in your todo, and then tap it for the Detailed View. In the Detailed View, you can select when you’d like the event to be due by. You’ll also notice that the extended keyboard isn’t available in this part of the app either. I feel like this is a small oversight, and I’d like to see it improved in future versions of the app.

That being said, Reminders integration is done right here. As Federico Viticci notes in his review of Fantastical 2, the only thing you can’t do in Fantastical than you can do with Reminders is change the colour of lists. Like Federico, iCloud has been changing my custom colours on me constantly, so I’m not sure if it even matters. Whenever If Apple pulls themselves together with iCloud, though, I’m sure some people will miss the ability to change list colours in Reminders. I’m not sure that I care.

Power Features

If you use TextExpander, you’ll be happy to know that Fantastical 2 supports you. If you’re like me and you don’t use TextExpander, Fantastical 2 is another app that will make you strongly consider it.

The new Landscape view is very nice.

The app also supports x-callback-url and is baked into apps like Drafts and Launch Center Pro, which is a handy feature. In-app, that means that Fantastical 2 can open links in Google Chrome or send your mapping information straight to Google Maps instead of Apple Maps if you have it installed. That brings me to a problem, though: you need to know the address you’re going to.

Missing Features

As it stands, Fantastical 2 has the best NLP parser available to consumers right now in an iPhone app. It also (quite easily) has the best Reminders integration in a calendar app, despite its small shortcomings. So what’s it missing?

Two things: weather and mapping. Horizon supports both these features, which is great. When I add an event, I naturally want to add an address. Most of the time, I don’t know the address. In Horizon, I can quickly punch in where I want to be and Horizon will query Google to find a specific address it can add to my calendar. It’s an insanely useful feature that Fantastical doesn’t have.

I wish Maps integration went deeper than this.

Horizon, like the stock Calendar app for Mac, will also tell me what the weather is going to be like at an event. It doesn’t just look up weather for the day, but weather for the event’s specific location. If I had to catch a plane to Mumbai for the day, Horizon could let me know what clothing I should pack. I really wish Fantastical did this too.

Combined, what this information should be able to generate is travel time information. Apple has tried this with the stock Calendar app, but since it doesn’t use your current location to tell you where to go, it’s largely useless. Fantastical could implement something similar if it were willing to add Maps integration to its feature set, and I suspect it would knock Apple’s implementation out of the park.

Final Thoughts

I’m really picky about my calendar app, and I don’t think any of them are close to perfect yet. Horizon is, I think, the smartest one out there right now. It provides me a ton of information, and with the exception of travel time, really helps me know where I need to be next. Fantastical has the best natural language parsing abilities, and lets me kick Reminders off my home screen.

Fantastical also has a ton of minor features I haven’t been able to discuss. It does some interesting things with animations and a beautiful landscape view. It imports your Fantastical 1 settings without problems. It has a really nice Birthdays view that I won’t show a screenshot of here because it’s just too lovely to ruin. But at the end of the day, what it’s missing is as important as what it includes.

Every calendar app is a compromise. Fantastical is very fast. It gets me in and out quickly, but its beautiful interface encourages me to stay. Its Reminders integration is absolutely top-notch. For most people, that would be more than enough to satisfy. I love it, and it’s taking a spot on my home screen, but I’m dying to see them integrate some mapping and weather features. Right now, I can highly recommend Fantastical 2 as the best calendar app for 99% of people’s needs. I just wish it had more.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/fantastical-2-my-utility-app-of-the-year/feed/Nathan SnelgroveMindNode 3 – A Solid Update to a Solid Apphttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/356bc2f6/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cproductivity0Cmindnode0E30Ea0Esolid0Eupdate0Eto0Ea0Esolid0Eapp0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/MindNode_Logo.png" alt="" /> I was never much of a mind mapping person — that is until I stumbled into it a couple of years ago. Since then, its become an essential part of my thought process. I often turn to mind maps to help me flesh out ideas and having an app on my iOS device that allows [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/356bc2f6/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/>MindNodemind mappingProductivityTue, 31 Dec 2013 15:00:17 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/productivity/mindnode-3-a-solid-update-to-a-solid-app/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50347I was never much of a mind mapping person — that is until I stumbled into it a couple of years ago. Since then, its become an essential part of my thought process. I often turn to mind maps to help me flesh out ideas and having an app on my iOS device that allows me to do so, is game changing.

Mention mind mapping on iOS and immediately two names rise to the top: iThoughts and MindNode. When time came to choose one, I opted for MindNode — Despite iThoughts being heralded as the best. It’s minimal, almost playful aesthetics drew me in and it was powerful and versatile enough for my needs while being a joy to use.

It did have it’s shortcomings however, but this update addresses many of them, adds a few new features and a new coat of paint too.

New Looks & Better Organisation

MindNode’s UI was totally overhauled in this update. Its fresh new look and brighter colours make it feel right at home on iOS 7. Animations are subtle and used sparingly to highlight the actions being executed — such as moving documents into folders. Yes, you read right. I said folders!

Totally revamped UI with folders and bright new colours.

MindNode now sports folders (visually similar to iOS folders), giving me greater control over my document’s organisation whereas in the previous version, documents were few and short-lived simply because managing them was a chore. With iCloud sync active, the folder structure and corresponding documents mirror perfectly to MindNode on the Mac, meaning I can now have all my mind maps accessible at all times.

The improvements don’t stop there though. File actions have also been tweaked and are now more powerful and easily accessible. Tapping the up arrow next to the document’s name provides options to rename (not possible in the previous version), delete, duplicate and move to a folder.

Powerful & Elegant Editing

I was happy to discover the improvements to the document browser were just an appetiser. When it comes to editing a mind map per se, is when we really see all the work that has gone into MindNode 3.

Crisp text, fast and fluid zooming or panning are just a few things that make working with MindNode 3 a treat. There is also a beautiful new default theme. However, should I need to do so, the inspector gives me free rein to tweak almost every aspect of my mind map.

Another much welcomed addition is the ability to add and edit node connections and perform rich text formatting. Node creation has also been streamlined thanks to the new keyboard shortcuts to quickly add sub and sibling nodes (a feature first seen in iThoughts).

Exchanging information between documents is also possible, simply copy an entire mind map or just a section and paste it into another document.

Nirvana For The Keyboard Fiends

Those that prefer working with an external keyboard, will be delighted to learn that MindNode has extensive support for keyboard shortcuts. In fact, with the exception of moving nodes around (attaching and detaching), I can pretty much work on a mind map without having to touch the iPad. Apps with this kind of support for external keyboards are making me strongly reconsider my initial stance.

Sync & Sharing

I had previously mentioned that I can sync my mind maps via iCloud, but that isn’t the only way to load new mind maps into MindNode. I can use MindNode Pro’s iPhone Sharing feature to easily pass documents between the Mac and my iOS devices and if I link my Dropbox account, I can import documents in a myriad of formats. MindNode imports not only for its proprietary format but also OPML and FreeMind files. Finally, I can use “Open in…” to pass documents to MindNode from other apps.

MindNode has smart conflict resolution should I edit a document both on the Mac and iPhone.

Mind maps can take me only so far, therefore it’s a good thing that MindNode has extensive sharing and export options. I can save to Camera Roll, Print, Send to App, Send to Dropbox or email a documents in any of the following formats: a MindNode or FreeMind document, a PNG image, an OPML or Text outline or as a PDF. If that isn’t enough, there is also a new service which allows me to share a mind map online on MyMindNode.com.

Final Thoughts

MindNode 3 is a solid update to an already stellar app. Some may argue that it isn’t as feature rich or powerful as iThoughts. I on the other hand argue that it’s just perfect for my needs.

Simple and intuitive making it a cinch to pick up and learn (even the new features such as connecting nodes were easy to discover and understand). Beautiful and minimal yet has everything I need to get in and quickly flesh out an idea. It’s node outline feature in the editor and improved organisation options in the document browser help me find anything I need in no time at all. And finally, MindNode’s extensive import and export options guarantee that my information is always accessible and never stuck in a silo.

If like me, you don’t need all the bells and whistles that iThoughts bring to the table (such as adding images to your mind maps), then MindNode is the app to get. Powerful, versatile and pure joy to use.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/productivity/mindnode-3-a-solid-update-to-a-solid-app/feed/Pedro Lobo2013: The Year in Photo Appshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe83/sc/15/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Cgeneral0Copinion0Egeneral0C20A130Ethe0Eyear0Ein0Ephoto0Eapps0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/photos_icon.png" alt="" /> Everyone enjoys taking pictures, as taking a photo is how many choose to capture a moment or memory in digital form. The iPhone — and, by extension, iOS as a platform — has quickly become one of the most popular ways to take these photos. Apple has included industry-leading optics in their devices since the [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe83/sc/15/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/sc/15/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/sc/15/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/sc/15/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578674/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe83/a2t.img" border="0"/>PhotographyOpinionphotoappspicturesTue, 31 Dec 2013 13:00:44 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/general/opinion-general/2013-the-year-in-photo-apps/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50286Everyone enjoys taking pictures, as taking a photo is how many choose to capture a moment or memory in digital form. The iPhone — and, by extension, iOS as a platform — has quickly become one of the most popular ways to take these photos. Apple has included industry-leading optics in their devices since the iPhone 4. More importantly, Apple has focused on the software side of their solution, making a solution where tech specs take a back seat to the processing techniques in iOS. Let’s take a look back at the year through the lens (pun intended) of photography.

New Hardware

The obvious change came in September, when Apple updated their iPhone line. The iPhone 5C sported the same camera as what is found in the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 continues to be one of the best devices available for taking photos, so the iPhone 5C is similarly excellent. However, the iPhone 5S was also released, and it stole the show. Without getting into the nitty-gritty technical details, the iPhone 5S is able to take better photos at lower light than any of its predecessors. It is also able to take photo insanely quickly, and can capture 120 FPS (frames per second) video, which can then be played back at 60 FPS to create a “slow-motion video.”

The iPhone 5S packs some impressive optical hardware into its svelte body.

The former change is likely more important, as slow-motion video is useful in only a limited number of circumstances if you aren’t a part of the Mythbusters.

But perhaps most importantly was a change to the flash. Now, any flash on a smartphone is not optimal; they are small, distort colors, and often do not even illuminate a subject to a satisfactory level. The iPhone 5S features a dual-LED setup. One LED is brighter, while the other is less white. Before you take a photo, the LEDs test-fire in order for the phone to calibrate how bright it should make each individual bulb. This method culminates in the flash firing, but in a controlled way so as to try and preserve colors and skin tones.

In my experience, this has been the single most important change to the iPhone 5S’ camera system. I hate using flash, but on the 5S, I hate it just a little less.

New Software

iOS 7 came, it saw, and it brought a complete redesign to the camera app. This design is polarizing: some view it as overly simplistic, while others view it as cumbersome. Apple did add various features, including filters, and a new square photo mode. Those two features aren’t going to set the world on fire, but it does show that Apple is watching the mobile photo market closely — both seem to be a response to the popularity of Instagram.

Snapchat reached its stride this year.

First-party software is interesting, as it tends to show where Apple expects the market to go, but the real interesting changes have come in the form of third-party apps.

The past year has seen the rise of impermanent, or limited, images. Likely the best example of this is Snapchat, where any photo you send has an expiration timer that begins to count down the moment after it has been opened and (presumably) viewed. Snapchat is the de facto app in this category — not even Facebook could topple it off of its perch. Much of this app’s popularity has to do with a kind of implied security: since images disappear, it makes the app seem less risky than sending the image as an email or iMessage. The image is also less public than if it had been shared on Facebook or Twitter, or even Instagram.

Speaking of Instagram, that social network was bought by Facebook. It is also thriving, and is actively being updated. Many wondered if Facebook being the owner would jeopardize the popularity of the app; if the months after that purchase have been any example, that isn’t the case. Instagram is massive now, and in many social circles, eclipses Facebook and Twitter. The image-centric social network is based entirely upon mobile computing, and it has seen great success.

Instagram is one of the greatest examples of a successful photo-based app on iOS.

While Instagram is now available on both Android and Windows Phone, the iOS version continues to be a great app, and an excellent example of how a large, multi-platform service can still be a fantastic iOS app — all I ask is for an updated icon, to fit better with iOS 7.

Snapchat and Instagram are likely the largest successes of the year, but there have been a plethora of other camera-related apps also released. Google, in particular, made moves to have a better iOS image ecosystem. Snapseed, which was purchased by Google, is still one of the best photo editors around. Google+, Google’s own social network, also has various photo-based features that rely on server infrastructure.

Other independent apps like VSCO Cam and Camera Plus demonstrate that there is always room for a quality camera replacement, even if apps with a social network aspect are more difficult to replace.

Where Do We Go From Here?

As more and more photos are taken on smartphones, it seems logical that the next step should be some way to back up these photos.

So far, Apple does not offer a service that is suitable for mass backup. Photo Stream has its limitations, like deleting your photos after 30 days. Syncing with a Mac or Windows PC is still an option (I keep my iOS photo library synced with my iPhoto library), though that approach defeats some of the portability of the iPhone.

Camera Plus is an example of an app that would benefit from being the default app on iOS.

On Android, Google is using Google+ as the way for its users to backup photos. This approach is also available on iOS, but it requires you to open the app and manually upload photos — that’s something of a deal breaker, as backup should be as effortless as possible. Other apps like Dropbox and Flickr also offer similar operations. I’m holding out hope that Apple will begin to offer something that accomplishes this.

On a similar note, I hope that Apple will soon support changing default apps to third-party options. I prefer Camera Plus over Apple’s stock camera app, but I have no way to default apps to always use that app.

Thankfully, both of these issues can be fixed via updates. Hardware will continue to progress, but software is increasingly the more important component. That, ultimately, is what will distinguish the iPhone and other superior smartphone cameras from the competition.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/general/opinion-general/2013-the-year-in-photo-apps/feed/Jonathan KizerTelevised 2 Leaves TV Junkies Wanting Morehttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe86/sc/38/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Clifestyle0Ctelevised0E20Eleaves0Etv0Ejunkies0Ewanting0Emore0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-9.49.17-PM.png" alt="" /> I’m not addicted to television or anything like that, but I like to keep up with what’s on TV. I go through binges a fair bit, sometimes on Netflix, but I also like to keep up with a couple sitcoms. I loathe myself for it, but I have a little bit of a soft spot [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe86/sc/38/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/sc/38/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/sc/38/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/sc/38/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/sc/38/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/sc/38/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/sc/38/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578673/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe86/a2t.img" border="0"/>TeeVeetelevisionLifestyleTV GuidetvTelevised 2TelevisedMon, 30 Dec 2013 19:00:04 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/televised-2-leaves-tv-junkies-wanting-more/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50010I’m not addicted to television or anything like that, but I like to keep up with what’s on TV. I go through binges a fair bit, sometimes on Netflix, but I also like to keep up with a couple sitcoms. I loathe myself for it, but I have a little bit of a soft spot for Big Bang Theory. I love HBO too. I’m also checking out apps to see if there are any good ones to help me schedule my week a little bit.

One that’s been making the rounds recently is Televised, an app that helps you keep track of what’s coming up on television. Read on to find out how it compares to the competition and whether or not it’s worth trying for all you TV diehards.

“Honey, What’s On TV?”

Sadly, Televised can’t answer that all-important American question. That’s my first, and biggest, beef about just about all the TV tracker apps out there. Unless you load them up with more shows than most of us care to, you’re never going to find out what’s on when. This is a flaw every television app has right now, with the exception of the apps from the major studios that track their entire schedules, so it’s not entirely fair for me to dock any points based on this.

But I wish the feature was included.

Televised is a really basic app.

The thing is, this is no substitute for even TV Guide, which comes with a few problems of its own but offers much of the same functionality (albeit, for a subscription).

But let’s say you’re not interested in finding out what’s always on TV. There are still lots of other potential use cases for the app. If you’re like me and only have the most basic of cable subscriptions, it’s good to know when a TV show is coming and set a reminder to the day after. That way, you’ll know when the show is available on iTunes (this is how I keep up with Mad Men every year now).

You can view the details on an episode, but can’t track what you’ve seen and haven’t seen.

Thankfully, Televised does have a few settings that make it easy to do that. The show also has a Hide Spoilers toggle in the Settings (that’s automatically turned on), but I have to question the validity of that — hiding spoilers shouldn’t even be optional; it should be automatic and mandatory.

And despite the app’s free price, it also comes with some other limitations: you can only follow three shows and receive a limited number of weekly notifications with the app unless you pay for the in-app upgrade (which is $1.99). Personally, with a small fee like that, I’d rather the app just have an upfront cost of $1.99 with all features unlocked from the get-go, but that’s just me.

The app allows you to follow three shows, but most of the shows in its Featured section are off the air.

Beyond that, I also have some other significant beefs with the app — largely to do with its interface.

The Design Problem

Televised is an iOS 7 app that half looks like an iOS 6 app. And even as an iOS 6 app, it’s ugly. The large posters that dominate your screen will get overbearing if you have more than a couple shows in a week, and the app becomes unwieldy to scroll through.

There’s no way to view the episodes in a series from beginning to end — instead, the app directs you to IMDB. Which is odd to me, because if you look in the Settings, you’ll realize the app actually gets all of its data from TheTVDB.com. It’s an odd inconsistency, and not worth complaining about per se, but I wish the show was doing more with its data.

Even the Settings menu is ugly.

It’d be nice to use the app like you would TeeVee 2, which is still my favourite television tracker because it lets you mark previous episodes as viewed. In that way, it becomes a really useful way to know where you last left off on that DVD or Blu-ray set too, and it’s more useful than just a glorified reminder app for TV shows.

Not to mention that the interface with TeeVee 2 is leaps and bounds better than Televised. The ugly buttons in Televised and dark colours are a huge turn-off for me. In bright sunlight, which I happen to get a lot of through my office windows, the app becomes practically unreadable. The buttons would have looked out of place on iOS 6, and they look much worse here. I can hardly believe it, too — this is from the same developer who brought us Haze, one of the most beautiful (but inaccurate) weather apps for iPhone.

I’d much rather pay an upfront cost than have to deal with this marketing plan, which feels like a disrespectful gimmick towards its users that makes the developer seem desperate.

This is the opposite problem: data in Televised is up to date and relevant, but it’s ugly. Despite the strange interface problems, there’s really not much you can do with the app. You can set it to remind you of shows. There’s no export feature to get all the upcoming shows as calendar events like there is in TeeVee, which creates an unnecessary feeling of lock-in.

Final Thoughts

In all honesty, there’s very little about the app that I find noteworthy. That might sound harsh, but my job is to be honest: the competitors have more interesting interfaces and let you do a lot more. Televised needs an updated interface and a few additional tracking features to prove itself as a worthy download for many of us, but until then, I’d recommend going with just about any of the other competitors instead. The nicest thing I can say about Televised is that it works as advertised, but it’s unfortunately not advertising much.

Launch Center Pro lets you create actions to interact with other applications and skip taps on basic functions of your iPhone, such as calling, messaging or opening sites. The application recently delivered its second version with plenty of new features for the automation rookie and the power user.

How LCP Works?

Ok, you know how a website address works, right? The http:// is the best metaphor to this little trick used by some apps to communicate with each other. An “url scheme” can be registered by every developer for each one of their apps and it works like the http://, hence the app can be called as when you open a link.

The reason for this explanation is that not every app has a url scheme and therefore can’t be summoned by another app. Launch Center Pro maintains a list of officially supported apps so you can check if your app can be automatized before purchasing LCP. If you got LCP already and it doesn’t support an app you hold dear, don’t decry it with a bad review and ask the developers of your unsupported app to include an ‘url scheme’ in the next release.

Quickly select among your apps and system actions.

Some apps extend their url schemes to allow more actions, but you probably won’t have to worry about that just yet since Launch Center Pro has a straightforward process to create actions: just find the app you want in the list of installed apps and you’ll get all possible actions — from there just choose how to fill the gaps. I bet you’ll find your way creating your workflow as the most noticeable improvement of the newest version of Launch Center Pro is how natural building an action became.

Version 2.0

If you’re still kinda lost, you can reference our previous article on the first version of Launch Center Pro, which explored the brand-new launcher of url actions when it arrived at the App Store. LCP got Text Expander support, clipboard actions and deeper system integration later on, but nothing could forecast the changes brought by the second version of the app.

Launch Center Pro 2.0 is an update for the iOS 7 environment, with a flatter design and thinner icons, but the major overhaul came into branching out from the power user with small advances to assemble a more friendly app. Several new features drive into that direction, such as being able to set a picture as the icon of an action and, as one of the most recurrent actions in LCP is to quickly call or send a message to your main contacts, build a more personal experience.

Multiple themes, Dropbox backup, easy sharing and importing.

But, of course, the main enhancements on the new version of Launch Center Pro are under the hood with its integration to Dropbox by generating short links from images or the clipboard, navigation through your files to handpick the one you want or grab the contents from a text file using the [dropbox-text] tag. For example, you can upload your last taken photo to Dropbox, grab a link and send it as a message to one of your contacts, all within a single action, or even tweak this action by attaching photos into a message, which is another new stunt from LCP.

You can also create multiple prompts for a single action and apply different labels to them in the new Launch Center Pro, for example, send an email with a custom subject and body, both with their own well named prompts. Another trick to come in handy if you use apps such as Clear or Silo is the [prompt-list] tag, which splits a regular list with commas, allowing you to use their url schemes to add various items at once to your lists.

Version 2.1

Most of the time a “x.1” update is equal to “bug fixes”, but the guys from Contrast spent their time well and the next version of Launch Center Pro is like a revision, bringing a truckload of new perks to automatize your iPhone. One of the major changes is in LCP’s own url scheme, which used to fork into different triggers for each feature and now were merged within the launch:// tag. This may not sound great for the average user, but definitely aids the transition as he delves into the app.

The next big thing is in the photo department, which sets Launch Center Pro apart from similar automatization apps. In the latest version you can create prompts for photos, so you can access your camera roll or open your front camera to take a selfie and attach it to many distinct services using the new, take a guess, attach=photo tag, which can be customized into the dimensions, quality, resolution and a few other refinements to your photos.

Exhibiting two great things, the Fleksy keyboard and the [prompt-list] tag.

Another remarkable new resource is the [list] tag, which differs from the aforementioned [prompt-list] as it gives you an array of items to select, for example, instead of creating one action for every contact you call often, you can create a single action with a list using their names and their numbers, that’s because you can assign a unique value to each item.

Still Not Satisfied?

I didn’t even scratch the surface of Launch Center Pro as version 2.1 in addition brings access to the iOS Share Sheet and prompts with the Fleksy keyboard, which can give you voice feedback as you type and truly smart auto-correction for your scribbles. For the non-geek, Launch Center Pro makes creating, sharing and importing actions intuitive enough that you wouldn’t need to type a single line of code and then, as you crave to further automatize your phone, unveil new features as you demand them.

Automatization is for the user who frequently uses the iPhone for repetitive actions or when their tasks, as simple as they sound, demand way too many taps to complete. It is great for the user up with double tapping the Home button to bypass the limitations of the iOS environment. Somehow, I believe every person could benefit from Launch Center Pro as we all, once in a while, remind ourselves of our tiny fingertips.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/productivity/automatize-your-iphone-with-launch-center-pro/feed/Phillip Gruneich2013: The Year of Podcastshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Cgeneral0Copinion0Egeneral0C20A130Ethe0Eyear0Eof0Epodcasts0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-26-at-5.29.58-PM.png" alt="" /> Podcasting has been around since the early 2000s, and it has undergone a massive amount of change since then. The mobile industry itself has seen change — gone are the iPods and Creative MP3 players, replaced by the dominance of smartphones. While the iPhone doesn’t hold the lion’s amount of market share that the iPod [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578671/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8a/a2t.img" border="0"/>iphonevideoPocket CastsOpinionmediacastroappsaudiopodcastEntertainmentMon, 30 Dec 2013 13:00:40 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/general/opinion-general/2013-the-year-of-podcasts/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50266Podcasting has been around since the early 2000s, and it has undergone a massive amount of change since then. The mobile industry itself has seen change — gone are the iPods and Creative MP3 players, replaced by the dominance of smartphones. While the iPhone doesn’t hold the lion’s amount of market share that the iPod did, it has been enough to catapult both podcast clients and podcasts themselves to a completely new level. In 2013, we saw just how utterly successful that market has become.

Background

There are podcast networks. Some — TWiT and 5by5 — are independent of any larger media conglomerate. These are the networks that typically are faster to move; they are faster to release apps, faster to add (and remove!) shows, and faster to simply adapt to a change in the market. As such, these networks have grown as a result of the high level of smartphone saturation, as they have begun to focus on either mobile technology itself, or the growing number of niches that are opened up by people with wider access to the shows.

5by5 is an excellent podcast network that includes shows on a variety of topics.

Other networks are backed by larger corporations or conglomerates, and these do not seem as agile. They have still been immensely successful due to the high amount of exposure their shows receive, as well as the vast number of people using podcast clients.

Both of these approaches tend to rely on advertising to cover the cost of production and distribution, as well as to turn a profit. The only exceptions exist as a way to promote a website or brand, as is seen with The Vergecast.

What Changed with Apps?

On the iPhone — which is where I am focusing — the largest change came as a result of iOS 7. The new operating system brought a complete redesign, which forced literally every app that hoped to stay relevant to update its design. More importantly, at least for podcast clients, were the APIs that iOS 7 introduced. For the first time in the iPhone’s history, apps could be automatically refreshed, or even activated in the background to download a new episode.

Pocket Casts is an excellent example of how powerful an iOS 7 app can be.

This immediately shook up the playing field for podcast clients. As such, Pocket Casts — which was released as a completely new version and not just as an update — essentially became the de facto podcast app on iOS. It supports both the iPhone and the iPad, will stream and download audio and video podcasts, and does it all with a fantastic design. Pocket Casts is still, in my opinion, the most feature-rich option available. You can read our excellent review of it here.

What else changed? Apple’s presence in the podcast world seems to be shrinking. It removed podcast functionality from the stock music app, and instead offers its own podcast client that ties into the iTunes Store through the App Store. While millions still likely choose this option, it seems clear that Apple has decided to support podcasts, but from a distance.

Arment’s Overcast is coming soon, and it promises to be a fantastic podcast client.

This single move has left a void for other developers to fill. Marco Arment, a notable iOS app developer most often remembered as the creator of Instapaper, announced in September that he was working on his own podcast client, named Overcast. Given his record as an excellent — if somewhat controversial — developer, many are looking to his app to become the best podcast client for iOS. Overcast, as of this writing, has not been released.

Castro’s claim to fame is in its simplicity and ease-of-use.

Arment’s app isn’t the only one making an entrance into the podcast client game. Castro, an app I recently reviewed, is simply excellent. It sheds some of the more niche features found in Pocket Casts, and instead uses a simple design to allow users to get where they want faster.

Podcast clients are in a state of flux. The combination of iOS 7 being released and Apple moving out of the podcast space have created a much more vibrant market that, as we head in to 2014, seems likely to only expand.

What Changed with the Shows?

The podcast networks continued to put out high-quality content. 5by5 — one of my personal favorites — seemed to pull away from strictly personality-based podcasts, and find more niches that focus on a specific area or topic. This means that they have pulled away from technology in some cases.

TWiT has continued to push out shows based around technology topics and the personality of its founder, Leo Laporte. These have continued to be successful, and remain high-quality and among the best thanks to TWiT’s studio.

TWiT, as a network, covers the technology industry, with host Leo Laporte at the helm of most shows.

Both 5by5 and TWiT have ramped up their coverage of daily news. It will be interesting to see how this affects their respective business models, and how well they can use the iPhone to tap into a larger market with timely updates about the day’s news.

The larger trend has been in independent podcasts. While the majority of podcasts are still associated with a network or as an offshoot of a website, there has also been a trend towards “indie” podcasts produced by iOS or Mac developers, or other people that are prominent in the mobile industry.

These podcasts are supported by advertisements, and generally see a high amount of listener feedback and input (as seen by the inclusion of “feedback and updates” segments on many of these programs). The podcast gets popular by both the influence of their hosts or the support of the audience. Probably the best example of this is the Accidental Tech Podcast with John Siracusa, Marco Arment, and Casey Liss.

Looking Forward

With the amount of momentum the podcast space has — particularly in the technology sector — 2014 is going to be another big year. I hope to see more innovation within the apps themselves as the year progresses and the competition to have the best iOS app heats up. I also hope to see the shows mix things up: there seems to be a formula that some of the shows (particularly on TWiT’s network) follow. This formula works, but perhaps it doesn’t work as well for every subject or topic as it could.

Podcasting became one of my favorite forms of media in 2013. It’s easy to consume, and it’s easy to walk away from. You play it on your own schedule, and the news is usually very informative. As 2014 rolls around, I suggest anyone that is even remotely interested in podcasts to download a client, do some searches for the best podcasts out there, and to give the medium a shot.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/general/opinion-general/2013-the-year-of-podcasts/feed/Jonathan KizerSky Live: Your Night Sky Forecasthttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Clifestyle0Csky0Elive0Eyour0Enight0Esky0Eforecast0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-9.43.26-PM.png" alt="" /> I’ve got something of an addiction to stargazing apps. While some app addicts have a folder for Twitter apps or Pinboard apps, I’ve got a folder simply labeled “Stars.” The thing is, I’m not an astronomer. I know as much about the stars as I do about neuroscience — almost nothing. I can point out [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578670/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8c/a2t.img" border="0"/>astronomyLifestylestar searchingstargazingstarsweatherSun, 29 Dec 2013 19:00:22 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/sky-live-your-night-sky-forecast/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49993I’ve got something of an addiction to stargazing apps. While some app addicts have a folder for Twitter apps or Pinboard apps, I’ve got a folder simply labeled “Stars.” The thing is, I’m not an astronomer. I know as much about the stars as I do about neuroscience — almost nothing. I can point out the Big Dipper. My closest friend is a serious stargazer, and she’s always pointing things out to me, but the Big Dipper is embarrassingly about as far as I can get on my own.

These apps, then, have really helped me out on my journey to learn more about the night sky. They’re equally informative and always brilliantly designed. The ones that have an iPad interface are always stellar there as well, but I mostly fiddle on my iPhone, which is like staring into a portal in our own universe. It blows me away. But the problem is, living in the city, I rarely know when I can go check out stars. There’s no “forecast app for stargazers.” Or at least, there never used to be. Recently, I’ve been using Sky Live, a beautiful app that helps me know when I should leave my house. Read on to find out why this is a must-try for night owls.

Night Sky Forecasts

Sky Live does not have a built in virtual reality stargazer. Those are all separate apps, and there are some really good ones. So I understand that it might take a little bit of convincing to get you to think it’s worth letting the app take up space on your iPhone, but I’m willing to try.

Sky Live is beautiful.

Having a forecast of the stars might sound impractical to you, but I think that’s a little short-sighted. If I may explain a little bit of my own experience with this app, I hope that’ll help clear things up. My closest friend is an experienced stargazer and she can point out constellations without a problem, but even she still has some basic questions before we go out: is the sky clear enough? What will we be able to see? What part of its cycle is the moon in? When is the best time to try and see Mars?

These questions are all things that Sky Live answers in a beautiful interface that’s very reminiscent of many popular weather apps. The app presents information in a list format, and even answers the questions as to what perfect conditions actually are (tapping that question takes you to this webpage in Safari). While what makes a perfect night for stargazing is somewhat obvious, the app really spells out whether or not those conditions are being met. During the Canadian winters that I’m used to, that’s actually a big help.

This is the sort of information that’s really valuable, and you can’t figure it out just by staring up at the sky.

Some of the information in the app is extremely in-depth. For example, you’ll get to see when planets are over the horizon and most visible — down to the minute. The visibility index is a huge plus, and one that is a clear guideline as to whether or not heading out to check out the night sky is worth your time. And all of this is presented in a beautiful, easy-to-use interface that I love looking at.

Designing a Stargazing Forecast

Vito Technology have really outdone themselves with this design, which is simply beautiful. It uses pictures of the solar system as in-app wallpapers, which is just gorgeous. What you can’t see in the screenshots, though, is the slight touch of parallax applied to the wallpaper in the app. Again, this is slight, and nowhere near as egregious as the amount Apple has used for the home screen effects. It’s just subtle enough to make the app more immersive without giving you a headache, and it looks incredible.

It’s easy to select only certain tools and edit where they’ll appear in the list.

Each picture is hand-picked and given its own description, which make for fascinating reads. Beyond that, though, the interface is incredibly simply. Just scroll up to read more about the night sky conditions. With just one tap, you can even turn on or off certain datasets. Don’t need the weather information? Turn it off. Prefer to see the forecast for the moon up top? Just adjust that in the Settings. It’s really easy to do and incredibly useful.

The app automatically searches for your location, although it also allows you to search for any place and find information you need. All your searched cities are kept in an easily-accessible list to help you get to the information you need right away. My friend is from South Africa, so I have Johannesburg available for quick and easy access to what it’s like back home for her.

Every day there’s a different wallpaper-like photo.

The app works in tandem with Vito Technology’s other stargazing apps, Star Walk and Solar Walk. Although you can use the app as a reference for other stargazing tools (which, of course, I have several of), it works best with those. When you use all three together, you might end up having the best trio of solar reference guides available on the App Store.

Final Thoughts

Not everybody is going to need an app like Sky Live, but those of us who do are going to be absolutely in love with this app. Vito Technology has made a beautiful reference tool, with attention to detail that turns a simple app into pure craftsmanship.

With that in mind, Sky Live is on the App Store for $1.99. At the time of writing, the app’s in-app purchases are absolutely free for a limited time, but that’s a rarity — regardless, it’s all worth every penny for novice and pro stargazers alike.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/sky-live-your-night-sky-forecast/feed/Nathan SnelgroveWeather Line is a Fantastic iPhone Weather Clienthttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cutilities0Cweather0Eline0Eis0Ea0Efantastic0Eiphone0Eweather0Eclient0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/weather_line_icon.png" alt="" /> Apple ships a very capable weather app in iOS 7. That weather app uses Yahoo’s information, and takes cues from other apps in the design and feature department. On iOS, many developers take a hint as to what they need to include in a weather app from Apple’s efforts. Weather Line goes in a different [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578669/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe8e/a2t.img" border="0"/>forecast.ioUtilitieslineiOS 7weatherappSun, 29 Dec 2013 13:00:47 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/utilities/weather-line-is-a-fantastic-iphone-weather-client/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50177Apple ships a very capable weather app in iOS 7. That weather app uses Yahoo’s information, and takes cues from other apps in the design and feature department. On iOS, many developers take a hint as to what they need to include in a weather app from Apple’s efforts.

Weather Line goes in a different direction: what two conditions do you need to know most often? Temperature, and whether or not it’s going to rain in the next hour or so — or at least that’s what the developers bet on. Other information is available in the app, but those two key pieces of data are displayed most prominently. Interested?

Using Weather Line

Weather Line is appropriately named: the foremost interface element is a line graph that displays the predicted temperature and cloud cover over time. The current time is denoted by a label that says “now,” and it is highlighted in light blue.

A simple design for a relatively simple app, the graphs display temperature and sun information.

You can view this line graph as either hourly, daily, or monthly. Daily is the seven-day forecast, while monthly predicts weather a month out.

Below the line graph is a general prediction for the current day’s weather, which I’ve found to be quite accurate. Below that is more information, including chance of precipitation, humidity, sunrise and sunset, and wind speed.

Below that is the rain prediction, powered by Forecast.io. Forecast.io tries to accurately predict not just when it is going to rain, but also how heavily. There are limitations: primarily, this forecast can only show sixty minutes out. Secondly, it is limited in its availability. This handy bar is a useful part of Weather Line, so I’d be sure to find out if your country is supported before purchasing the app.

The week view shows information about the upcoming weather; I’ve found it to be very accurate.

There is a slight learning curve to Weather Line, particularly if you are used to the animations and flashy design of other weather apps. Weather Line is comparatively stark — there aren’t many colors. Once you are used to the navigation, Weather Line quickly becomes more accessible.

Design

The design of Weather Line is light. In fact, the app absolutely exudes the fact that it was designed with iOS 7 in mind. White, white everywhere — even the icon is very light.

The month view is good for getting an idea of trends, but it isn’t as accurate as one might hope for.

I enjoy this design, even though it is currently the popular way to do make an app. It still doesn’t feel old or used up, and it allows Weather Line to be an attractive app all while focusing on presenting information as best as possible. The line graph approach to showing a forecast also works very well with the design: gone are fancy graphics, and in are lighter, easier-to-read graphs.

Accuracy

What use is a weather app if it says that today will be full of sun, with a slight chance of rain towards the end of the afternoon, when it in fact pours rain all day? Not much — and luckily, accuracy isn’t something that Weather Line sacrificed to be fast and attractive.

You can edit your list of locations in the settings of the app.

The app, as mentioned above, is powered by Forecast.io. This is a relative newcomer to the weather space, but I’ve been very happy with the results thus far. The temperature is always within a degree (Fahrenheit) of what my outdoor thermometer reads. If Weather Line — and therefore Forecast.io — predicts rain, I’m going to prepare for it. I trust the information that Weather Line shows, and that is ultimately the mark of a good weather app.

Simplicity

Weather Line is not a prosumer app; it’s design is excellent, but it also focuses on a relatively small amount of features in order to achieve the design that it has.

What you see is what you get, so be prepared for that. For many consumers, that’s more than enough. It’s roughly equivalent to what Apple’s stock iOS 7 weather app shows, so it’s easy to make a comparison there to see if you need a more powerful client. If you do, I can’t say that Weather Line is for you.

Who Is Weather Line For?

In fact, there are many who probably don’t benefit from Weather Line. First of all, Forecast.io’s weather information seems more accurate in an urban setting. This is just what I have found when traveling; if I’m in a city and it’s about to rain, Forecast.io-powered apps can accurately predict it. If I’m somewhere more rural, this isn’t guaranteed to happen. Again, I have no evidence to back this up other than my own experience.

Weather Line will always present weather information for your current location.

Given that, if you are in an area that receives a small amount of rainfall, this probably isn’t for you. Considering that much of the app displays information about upcoming precipitation, it doesn’t make sense to buy Weather Line if you’re in a desert, or somewhere where weather is infamously difficult to predict.

Final Thoughts

Weather Line isn’t for everyone, and that’s how it should be. The App Store has literally a dozen or so well-designed apps for every purpose. Some distinguish themselves by design, feature set, or even supported area. Regardless, you have plenty to choose from in any circumstance.

Weather Line is a solid entry, and it stands out as being very well-suited to iOS 7. It has the basic set of features nailed, and anyone looking for a slick replacement to Apple’s stock app will be very happy with Weather Line.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/utilities/weather-line-is-a-fantastic-iphone-weather-client/feed/Jonathan KizerTumblr Goes iOS 7http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe90/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cinternet0Ereviews0Ctumblr0Egoes0Eios0E70C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-3.08.43-AM.png" alt="" /> I love Tumblr. I didn’t think I would, after I saw some of the stuff that my younger sister was always checking out on it, but sometimes I surprise even myself. At this point, I keep two blogs up on the site: a rarely-updated personal blog that’s not even worth linking to and a music [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe90/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578668/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe90/a2t.img" border="0"/>social networkingiOS 7tumblrInternetbloggingSat, 28 Dec 2013 19:00:59 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/tumblr-goes-ios-7/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49926I love Tumblr. I didn’t think I would, after I saw some of the stuff that my younger sister was always checking out on it, but sometimes I surprise even myself. At this point, I keep two blogs up on the site: a rarely-updated personal blog that’s not even worth linking to and a music recommendations blog called Unsung Sundays, and I couldn’t be happier with the service. It’s one of the few CMS systems that doesn’t feel totally broken.

That being said, I didn’t think I’d ever start making posts on my iOS devices and keeping them. While the Tumblr app for iPhone and iPad has been capable of doing that sort of thing for a while, it hasn’t always been as smooth of an experience as it’s been on the desktop. But recently, that changed with the iOS 7 update for Tumblr, which makes it the best blogging app on iOS bar none. Read on to find out why you might consider taking up blogging again, but from your phone.

A Redesigned Experience

Not unlike every other one of your favourite apps, Tumblr has gone through a bit of a redesign now that iOS 7 is out. The app has gotten “flatter.” I hate that word, especially since it espouses a lot of things that nobody would ever actually want their designs to be. Tumblr was also relatively flat before, so this update is really more about bringing the app in line with the rest of the operating system.

Tumblr looks better now than ever before.

So while Tumblr talks about an entirely updated dashboard experience, what they really mean is an entirely more up-to-date dashboard experience. The differences are subtle, and I don’t think they’re going to make or break the way that you use the app. That being said, it looks ever so slightly better than it did before, and it’s nicer for reading in (the fact that it hooks up with Read Later services like Pocket and Instapaper is also a plus).

Better yet, the Share Sheet has been improved. I might be wrong, but I don’t recall that Tumblr used any advanced tools like x-callback-url in past versions of the app. What that means is that, if your favourite Twitter or App.net app supports it, you can grab the URL from any Tumblr post and pre-load it into an app without any sort of struggle — and you can do it from the Share Sheet. It’s much faster than copying and pasting, and it’s crossing over into geek territory, but Tumblr has implemented it in a way that’s going to make most people feel right at home.

The Updated Posting Experience

While there are some other things worth talking about in the Tumblr update, the big one is undoubtedly the new writing and posting experience. Tumblr’s always had a mobile poster built into the app, but this version of the app improves it so much that it’s become usable for everybody — even geeks like me (and probably you).

The writing experience is a lot better now.

Now, it’s easy to start a post on your iPhone and set it up to write in Markdown without going through a field of menus. This is a huge improvement, and one that I’ve been waiting for a long time. It’s just in the Settings now. The app has also been updated to take advantage of things like the native iOS 7 UIPicker Elements, so choosing a date to schedule your post feels more at home with the new iOS.

The app also has a really nice new selection screen when you’re choosing what sort of post you’re making as well. The popup takes up the whole screen and looks really good, with nice, colourful icons taking up space. Compared to the old app, this one’s a keeper visually. It’s less drab.

It’s really nice to be able to schedule and edit posts on the fly, and I love being able to write in Markdown in the app.

That being said, things aren’t perfect over in Tumblr-land. The thing is, while you can easily write in Markdown on an iPhone, you can’t on an iPad. If you don’t know what Markdown is (check it out if you don’t), it won’t make a difference to you. If you do, you’re likely going to be as weirded out by that difference as I am.

Keep in mind that this seems to be the only differentiator between the iPad and the iPhone apps as they currently are. The rest of the features are identical: the dashboard experience is the same, the posting experience is the same, and all the other features are there. For whatever reason, though, the posting experience is different on the iPad.

Even the Discovery tab feels a little spruced up.

I’m not actually even sure what you’re posting with the iPad. I want to say that it’s rich text, but it might be HTML or Markdown as well. In fact, for all I know, it could intelligently switch between each, but if it does, there’s no real interface signs assuring me that’s happening. It’s just a bizarre thing to get left out.

Final Thoughts

Overall, though, the update is a tremendous improvement for both apps. There’s an added sense of clarity, and it’s easier than ever before to create posts from your device. The iPhone has the added benefit of Markdown-enabled posts, which are a huge perk for me, but it’s sad to see that the iPad didn’t get the same treatment.

That being said, for the most part, we’re getting to the point where the Tumblr app is the single best part of the experience. For most people, there’s no need to manage the app from the desktop anymore, and that’s quite an accomplishment in itself — and almost worth blogging on Tumblr for.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/tumblr-goes-ios-7/feed/Nathan SnelgroveOsfoora 2: ‘S’ Stands for Speedhttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe92/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cinternet0Ereviews0Cosfoora0E20Es0Estands0Efor0Espeed0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/osfoora_icon.png" alt="" /> Twitter clients were once one of the most popular apps on the App Store. In the time of Tweetie, there were more options than most anyone could keep up with. At that time, one of the more popular options was an app named Osfoora — strange name, particularly for a category where most apps included [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe92/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578667/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe92/a2t.img" border="0"/>updateclientiOS 7twitterInternetSat, 28 Dec 2013 13:00:40 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/osfoora-2-s-stands-for-speed/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50166Twitter clients were once one of the most popular apps on the App Store. In the time of Tweetie, there were more options than most anyone could keep up with. At that time, one of the more popular options was an app named Osfoora — strange name, particularly for a category where most apps included a play on the word Twitter.

Osfoora hung around for some time, but ultimately fell behind as apps like Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and Tweetie 2 become more popular. Then, Twitter bought Tweetie, and roughly two years later started throwing up API limitations for developers of third-party apps. It is in this ecosystem that Osfoora 2 has been released; can it compete?

Design

Osfoora 2 is an iOS 7 app. The design is light, the iconography is light, and the typography is light. Nothing heavy-handed exists in the app.

The layout is simple, and somewhat reminiscent of Twitterrific. In Osfoora, you swipe to the right to reveal a sliding panel that lets you navigate through the app — this keeps the main screen where Tweets are shown clean, with more space for your content than in apps like Tweetbot, but with the downside of hiding common controls behind a gesture.

In Twitterrific, this is particularly problematic as performance isn’t always snappy. Osfoora doesn’t suffer from this particular issue — the “s” in Osfoora may as well be for “snappy,” because the app never slows down. Gestures, taps, and commands are immediately recognized and acted upon, even when dealing with long lists of Tweets or users.

The timeline is simple. The only downside? I hope you enjoy the dark theme, because that’s all there currently is.

There are two ways to compose a tweet in Osfoora. The easiest is also the most simple: just tap the compose icon in the top right of the app. Additionally, you can swipe as if to refresh the feed, but hold until a compose view pops up. This particular gesture seems strange to me, as it isn’t any faster than tapping the icon. It may be useful for times when you want to compose a Tweet without looking at the screen, but that seems a fairly extreme use case to optimize for.

While other apps have adopted a gesture to interact with or engage in individual tweets, Osfoora keeps it simple: swipe to the left to reveal a sliding panel with more, retweet, favorite, reply, and conversation options.

The conversation view is equally simplistic, though you can swipe to reveal more options for individual Tweets..

A small touch that I enjoy: you can tell if new tweets are available from anywhere within the app thanks to a small blue dot on the top toolbar.

My biggest gripe with the design is that there isn’t a light theme. With more and more apps including both light and dark themes in order to help make content more readable based on surrounding light levels, this is sorely needed.

Features

The circle avatars are also here, keeping Osfoora well within line of the latest design trend that Apple kicked off. It’s not, by any means, offensive or annoying, but it is amusing that this style of avatar has almost entirely taken over any messaging app on iOS.

The profile view is also simple, but it makes it easy to navigate through information.

Osfoora includes the expected features of a first-class Twitter client. Streaming works when on WiFi, which is particularly useful, as any user of Tweetbot knows.

Over the past week, I’ve used Osfoora instead of my usual client of choice, Tweetbot. I’ve come away satisfied — it’s crazy to see how much this app has matured in its second release. It is now a completely modern iOS 7 app, and a completely modern Twitter app. As Twitter’s own app proves, that’s difficult to do, and the developer deserves major props for it.

Using Osfoora

Osfoora does what I need it to do. The timeline is fast and smooth, the compose screen works very well, and I can easily view conversations. I can DM specific users when I want to converse in private, and I can quickly browse some else’s profile or timeline.

Swipe to reveal controls for individual Tweets.

To my mind, Osfoora prioritizes this simplicity and speed over a massive feature set. Tweetbot, probably the most popular third-party Twitter client in the world, does the speed and simplicity concept well, but it can feel crowded with its vast number of features that most people don’t need.

The Competition

Osfoora’s other competition lies within Twitter’s own app, and in Twitterrific.

Swipe to the right to reveal the app’s navigation. This keeps the design simple, but hides everything behind a swipe.

Twitter, the app, is in flux. It seems that Twitter doesn’t know what it wants a mobile experience of its service to be like. There are conflicts likely within the company: should the advertising take precedence over other content, or should the experience of the app be first-rate? Those questions are being decided within Twitter’s headquarters, and the effects of that war can be seen in the amount of design updates that the app has gone through. As it currently stands, the Twitter for iPhone is a poor choice, even at its free price point.

Twitterrific has a few specific features up its sleeve that appeal to some users, but I don’t see it as being nearly as competitive as either Tweetbot or Osfoora. The largest issue I have with the app is the random slow-downs and lag that occurs, even on my iPhone 5S.

Final Thoughts

If you’re the type of person that liked Twitterrific, I suggest Osfoora: the focus on speed and simplicity will satisfy even the most die-hard users of Twitterrific. If you’re a fan of TweetBot for its features, this isn’t a direct competitor.

As such, Osfoora ranks highly, albeit not as highly as Tweetbot. For my money, I still prefer Tweetbot and find it to be the best third-party Twitter client on iOS. However, Osfoora fills a need that the market has, and frankly, the sheer speed of navigating through Osfoora is its most compelling feature.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/osfoora-2-s-stands-for-speed/feed/Jonathan KizerPinswift Is My New Favourite Pinboard Apphttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe94/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cinternet0Ereviews0Cpinswift0Eis0Emy0Enew0Efavourite0Epinboard0Eapp0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-2.58.11-AM.png" alt="" /> I’ve been a Pinboard user for a few months now. The service is great: its a bookmarking tool for those of us that prefer to be organized about it, letting us tag everything we bookmark for reference later. The full-priced annual membership fee (for $25), an optional “accessory” which I don’t subscribe to, allows you [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe94/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578666/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe94/a2t.img" border="0"/>PincasepinnerpinboardPushpinPinswiftInternetFri, 27 Dec 2013 19:00:45 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/pinswift-is-my-new-favourite-pinboard-app/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49910I’ve been a Pinboard user for a few months now. The service is great: its a bookmarking tool for those of us that prefer to be organized about it, letting us tag everything we bookmark for reference later. The full-priced annual membership fee (for $25), an optional “accessory” which I don’t subscribe to, allows you to save a cached copy of any website page at the time of initial reference and provides full text search across all your bookmarks.

There’s bevy of great Pinboard clients out there, and for a long time I was using Pincase for my iPhone and iPad. It’s a great app with a beautiful iOS 7-inspired design, but it’s certainly not perfect (read more about it in my review). That’s why I’m excited to talk about Pinswift, a fast and beautiful Pinboard client for iPhone that I’m absolutely in love with. Read on to find out what makes this app such a great buy.

Simple, But Powerful

As far as design goes, which is of the utmost importance with an app whose primary purpose is easy saving, navigation, and tagging of articles, Pinswift is both fantastic and boring. There’s little here that isn’t delivered in the format of a list, which is exactly how it should be, but the app’s use of colours, gestures, and animations really show it apart.

This app is beautiful on iOS 7, but also a little understated.

The colours are of note: although the app doesn’t look inherently special, using colours as an easy way to reference where you are makes the feel much easier to navigate. It’s a little touch and a well-planned touch that resonates throughout the whole experience. I have a little concern over how a colour-blind person would navigate the app, but there are system options in iOS for them that are meant to help navigate colourful menus to begin with, so I’m hoping it’s not a problem.

Take, for example, editing or sharing a bookmark. Swiping a bookmark in a list brings up a beautiful little action sheet where you can edit tags, add a description, and the like. Swiping to the right makes it easy to share on social networks using the standard iOS Share Sheet.

I love how this looks in the list of bookmarks.

The app also knows the difference, based on the Share Sheet, whether you want to tag something as unread or not. So I found a bookmark I was interested in reading, but didn’t have time to check out now. I added the public bookmark to my own list, and because I already hit the Read Later button, it marked it unread automatically. Marking it as unread adds a blue dot beside the item in your list of bookmarks, making them easy to find while browsing. Unread articles also get their own spot in the app.

All of this is to say that the design isn’t just intuitive, it’s also smart. So the app knows, or guesses, at least a little bit about what you want to do with each article. It also has tag suggestions for every article that are actually intelligent and usually fairly complete, unlike the standard Pinboard bookmarklet I normally use. Pinswift is a smart app.

The in-app browser looks great, too.

For all of that, there are little touches that I don’t like. Instead of the main menu being a button that you access on the top left, the Pinswift “Menu” button of sorts is located on the top right. That requires me to relearn a little bit of my automated muscle memory.

The Other Perks

Unlike some Pinboard clients, Pinswift has a few tricks up its sleeve other than just easy saving and editing of bookmarks. You can also do some great tricks with its search function, which I really like. For example, you can search for multiple tags with a problem, a feature that many Pinboard apps don’t have. Searching for Chimero and TGD for me brings up Frank Chimero’s interview on The Great Discontent. While some apps can do that, Pincase, my previous pick for Pinboard based on design alone, simply couldn’t.

Search works seamlessly and nearly instantly.

I also like the full text search, which works only if you have the annual subscription to an archival account on Pinboard. I don’t have that, so it didn’t work for me, instead acting like a tag search. Some people will wonder, then, why the two categories have to be separate — one for full text search and one for tag search. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure it’s necessary, but it does make it just a little bit easier if there are specific tags you’re looking for.

There’s one feature the app doesn’t have, though, speaking of tags, and that’s tag browsing. In order to browse tags, you’ll have to find an article with the tag you’re looking, tap the article, hit the Bookmark button, and then tap the tag name itself. Either that, or you can just search for the tag you need, but since tag search doesn’t feature autofill, that doesn’t feel much more effective.

The tag autocomplete is actually smart.

If you want to save specific tags, you can set that up as a Saved Search for easy reference later in the main menu. It’s not perfect, but it’s there. That’s a definite perk, even though it doesn’t fix all of the problems with Pinswift’s tag organization. So for all the benefits to tag searching in Pinswift, it also feels like it needs a little more improvement.

One feature I’m undeniably impressed by is the x-callback-url implementation. I won’t explain it full because there’s documentation on the Pinswift website, but it’s a useful tool. For me, it allows me to easily send whatever I’m reading straight to Drafts and build a workflow from there. There’s also handy bookmarklet available on the Pinswift website that makes it easy to send over links straight from mobile Safari.

What’s Missing

The biggest missing thing for me is the social element. I don’t necessarily think any Pinboard app has gotten this completely right, but I wish it was easier to follow users. Pinswift allows you to bookmark users’ tags and follow along, but you can’t follow just a user.

The animations are really smooth.

Although I’m not sure if this is a part of the Pinboard architecture, I’d love the option to find friends on Facebook and Twitter who use the service and follow them from there just to see what they’re publicly saving — not unlike a service similar to what Instapaper uses.

Final Thoughts

But these things are moot points in the grand scheme of things — Pinboard has been meant for a lot of people as a private way of bookmarking and tagging websites for later reference. In that respect, I think that Pinswift is a contender to be one of the best Pinboard apps on iOS. Its iOS 7-inspired design finds its own footing without a problem, and the app is easy enough to use that it’s perfect for casual users, hardcore Pinboard fans, and even iOS geeks who like to fiddle with x-callback-urls.

The bottom line? Within minutes, Pinswift knocked every other Pinboard client off my iPhone. I look forward to seeing how it evolves in the future, but for now, Pinswift is an easy and beautiful recommendation for anybody on the service.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/internet-reviews/pinswift-is-my-new-favourite-pinboard-app/feed/Nathan SnelgroveKeep Track of Your Weight with Weightlesshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe95/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Clifestyle0Ckeep0Etrack0Eof0Eyour0Eweight0Ewith0Eweightless0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/weightless_icon.png" alt="" /> Measuring your body’s mass, or weighing, will likely be something you do more and more, especially after the holidays and the feast of food that usually brings. You may also be looking for a way to get into shape as a New Year’s Resolution. Regardless, you’re going to be interested in your weight. Some of [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe95/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578665/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe95/a2t.img" border="0"/>fitnesstrackweightLifestyleFri, 27 Dec 2013 13:00:51 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/keep-track-of-your-weight-with-weightless/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50146Measuring your body’s mass, or weighing, will likely be something you do more and more, especially after the holidays and the feast of food that usually brings. You may also be looking for a way to get into shape as a New Year’s Resolution. Regardless, you’re going to be interested in your weight.

Some of the high-end iPhone weight trackers connect to Bluetooth scales or other peripherals to automatically update your weight every time you take the time to step onto the scale. Weightless isn’t that — it’s a low-tech solution to a problem many have. Additionally, it’s cheap, and is compatible with any scale you may have around the house. Is it useful everyday? Does it actually help to manage your weight?

Stock Design, Speedy Performance

Weightless is a stock, by-the-books iOS 7 app. This means plenty of whitespace, and the color blue is very popular. Everything is light: icons, typography, everything. It is a very stock-feeling app, but since iOS 7 is still new, “stock” apps still look snazzy and interesting.

Weightless’ main screen is simple, and it conveys the most essential information well.

Weightless is fast: that’s one of the best parts of this lightweight UI. Tap and boom — whatever you want is there. Considering that you will be using the app every day to input data, that’s fantastic. Additionally, it is also stable. Other weight trackers seem to crumble under the mass of their own feature set and design. Weightless doesn’t suffer from this issue in any way, and I haven’t seen any crashes or data losses whatsoever for the past few weeks that I have been using and testing it.

No Sync? No Problem

The fancy weight trackers on the market are compatible with a limited set of Bluetooth scales. This allows them to be effortlessly — or as effortlessly as pairing a device to your iPhone via Bluetooth is — synced quickly anytime you measure your weight. This is probably the most convenient solution, and it builds on to that appealing “internet of things” idea that everyone wants to see come to fruition.

Weightless also includes information about your BMI (Body Mass Index).

The downside? Money, money, money. The Bluetooth scales tend to be significantly more expensive than their “dumb” counterparts. As I alluded to earlier, you also have to go through the process of pairing the two devices together in most cases. Anytime you want to sync, you have to ensure that Bluetooth is on and active. It’s a good solution that has various drawbacks.

Simple, but Useful

Weightless does not sync with any scale of any type. Instead, you are stuck inputting data by hand — scary though, right?

Weightless will show graphs and other methods to help you visualize your weight over time.

In practice, it works out very well. Tapping the weight on the main screen pops up a dialog box and the number pad, and you can enter your weight from there. It takes all of two seconds, and then you’re on your way. Over the past few weeks, I have worked the process into my morning routine. Doing so makes it much easier, and it’s become a habit: I wake up, I weigh, I put my most recent weight into Weightless.

Features

That weight is then used for various purposes. Most usefully for me, it is used to show trends in a daily bar graph. That graph can be viewed with various timeframes: week, month, and all, which shows you the trend of your weight since you started using the app.

The main screen also displays your day-to-day trends. This is useful for seeing the effect of last night’s big meal, or that jog that you took after work yesterday. Weightless also includes a basic BMI (Body Mass Index) reading and chart. This is configured in the settings, where you can add your height so as to get an accurate BMI estimate.

Also in the settings: the ability to schedule a reminder via Apple’s stock Reminders app. If you’re forgetful, go ahead and do it — it will only help you to keep to the schedule and to go through with using Weightless.

You can configure your height in the settings to make the BMI reading more accurate, as well as set a reminder.

In the history view, you can view your individual weighings, as well as the day-to-day trend. This is, again, useful for trying to get a sense of how a particular workout routine or diet is affecting your weight.

Graphs and Snaps

My favorite aspects of the app are the graphs. These graphs are easy to read and interpret, and cleanly displayed with as much information as possible. The trends are clearly shown, as are the individual weigh-ins. Graphs only get more interesting and useful as more data is added, so expect the utility of this feature to grow with time.

Snaps make it easy to keep a visual reminder of your progress over time.

Snaps are something that I just haven’t used, though they are probably very useful for people hoping to lose a few pounds or to gain some muscle mass. The concept is simple: take a photo of yourself every day, or every week, and watch the change take place as you browse back in time. It’s more of a way to encourage yourself with proof of results, and I can completely see why it was added. The interface for adding snaps is simple and fluid, and a grid is even superimposed on the camera view so as to make taking photos easier.

Final Thoughts

With the holidays here, and a New Year just around the corner, Weightless has never been more relevant. Having been using the app for about a month now, it’s become part of my daily routine. It’s a utility, and it provides me with a way to record data that I had once just kept floating around in the back of my head: my weight. It goes further than that by adding information visualizations in the way of overall trends and graphs.

Do I recommend it? Oh yeah; Weightless is an app that I use literally every day to do something that I find very useful.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/keep-track-of-your-weight-with-weightless/feed/Jonathan KizeriPhone Game Friday: New Releaseshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe96/sc/15/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Croundups0Cgames0Ciphone0Egame0Efriday0Enew0Ereleases0E1790C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/RepubliqueIcon.png" alt="" /> After what we hope was a fantastic Christmas week for those of you who celebrate, you may be hoping for a bit of downtime to recover from all that food. This weekend, you can relax with the following fine titles from the App Store&#8217;s gaming section that are worth playing before the new year rolls [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe96/sc/15/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/sc/15/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/sc/15/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/sc/15/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578664/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe96/a2t.img" border="0"/>gamefridayfridaygamesGamesFri, 27 Dec 2013 13:00:19 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/roundups/games/iphone-game-friday-new-releases-179/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50314After what we hope was a fantastic Christmas week for those of you who celebrate, you may be hoping for a bit of downtime to recover from all that food.

This weekend, you can relax with the following fine titles from the App Store’s gaming section that are worth playing before the new year rolls around…

Hardly needing an introduction, the long-awaited second season of Telltale’s dramatic Walking Dead game has finally arrived!

Following the same episodic structure as its predecessor, this is the first of five episodes that will appear throughout the new year, and the story picks up directly after the previous season, where heartbreak and fear left us gasping.

Clementine, in All That Remains, is left to fend for herself, and her struggles to make her way through the vicious world are gripping, proving that Telltale is just hitting their stride with the story and that we have much to look forward to in the coming episodes. I, for one, cannot wait!

Republique is a shockingly vast stealth game set in a dystopian future ruled by government surveillance and totalitarian laws.

You guide Hope, a citizen, through puzzling stealth gameplay of the higest calibre, rendered beautifully in Unity using some extremely impressive facial animation technology.

Hope and the world around her are brought to life with top-notch production values and a keen attention to detail that helps immerse you in the troubling environments you’ll encounter.

The controls are responsive and simple, allowing easy access to all that Republique has to offer. It should be mentioned that the game is actually episodic; you can buy a season pass in-game now for discounted access to the coming story modules.

There’s also a fascinating Making Of video series included as another in-app purchase that reveals some of the gigantic effort that went into making this a reality. Republique is impressive and magnificently executed. Highly recommended.

Having just recently finished the new console Tomb Raider reboot, it was fun to see the very first Tomb Raider revived for the App Store.

Square has done a good job bringing back the classic title with slavish respect for the original…to the point where even the wonky controls from the original are present. The iOS version is a port of the 1998 re-release and includes its two additional chapters, by the way.

Technical details aside, this is the same old Tomb Raider: difficult, beautiful (in a charming, old-school sort of way), and exotic. If you’d like to witness the true origins of everyone’s favourite action heroine, this would be the best way to do it!

Ninja Theory, the esteemed developes of DmC: Devil May Cry and Ensalved: Odyssey to the West, have just released their newest title on iOS.

Fightback is just as combat focused as you’d expect from them, but this time it’s been refined to a Mortal Kombat style, pure fighting game. If The Raid: Redemption were to be made into a game, this would be it. You’ll spend most of your time scaling skyscrapers one floor at a time, pummeling fools as you go.

In a mindless sort of way, it’s extremely fun. With Chillingo and EA attached, you won’t be at all surprised to hear about the presence of IAP, though in this instance they’re mostly just relegated to cosmetic upgrades and are thus easy to ignore.

Altogether, Fightback is an impressive but not overwhelmingly creative take on the genre, which is just fine by me–if you’re after some easy entertainment with polished looks, then Fightback delivers.

Just like the first game, Castle Raid 2 is some of the best Ral-Time Strategy gaming you can get on your iPhone.

The game takes the staples of RTS gameplay like resource gathering, unit management, etc. and simplifies it so that you can focus on the fun aspects while the rest more or less take care of themselves. You’ll need to assign workers to farm resources, but they remain fairly self sufficient. Enemies are always in view and you won’t have to worry about fog of war.

The environments are all set up with two castles facing each other, and the goal is always to battle your way over to the opposing structure and bash down their doors. While all this streamlining may be anathema to those who grew up with deep RTS experiences like StarCraft, Castle Raid 2 feels much more appropriate on iPhone.

In fact, one of its finest features is a simultaneous local multiplayer mode where you and your opponent sit on opposite ends of the device and manage your armies. It makes for some very entertaining party duels.

Castle Raid 2 proves that sometimes a leaner game is a better one, and I suspect that even fans of hardcore RTS games will find themselves totally engrossed.

What Have You Been Playing?

That’s all, folks–have a wonderful new year and we’ll see you around!

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/roundups/games/iphone-game-friday-new-releases-179/feed/Marius MasalarFreeze It is a Great Word Game for Cold Winter Nightshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe97/sc/8/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cgames0Ereviews0Cfreeze0Eit0Eis0Ea0Egreat0Eword0Egame0Efor0Ecold0Ewinter0Enights0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-9.34.15-PM.png" alt="" /> I love a good word game. I have fond memories of playing word games against my family growing up, although I’d be hard-pressed in my adult life to remember the names of most of them now. iPhone games that remind me of those games usually earn a cherished place on my phone. Letterpress is a [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe97/sc/8/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/sc/8/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/sc/8/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/sc/8/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/sc/8/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/sc/8/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/sc/8/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578663/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe97/a2t.img" border="0"/>multiplayer gamesletter gamessolitaireGamesBoggleletterpressword gamesFreeze ItThu, 26 Dec 2013 19:00:10 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/games-reviews/freeze-it-is-a-great-word-game-for-cold-winter-nights/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49980I love a good word game. I have fond memories of playing word games against my family growing up, although I’d be hard-pressed in my adult life to remember the names of most of them now. iPhone games that remind me of those games usually earn a cherished place on my phone. Letterpress is a great example of a game that never left my iPhone or iPad once it got on them.

With that tradition in mind and the winter upon us, I was really excited to try out Freeze It, a word game that reminds me of games like Boggle — but it’s been made for the ground up for iPhone. Read on to find out how the game works and whether or not it’s worth giving it a shot.

Playing the Game

Freeze It is all about speed. The name of the game is moving faster than your opponent and getting more points by guessing words for each category. The game moves in a series of rounds, so it’s turn-based, and you can play with up to four people.

This game isn’t as easy as it looks.

When it’s your turn to play, the game is going to present you with a board of letters and several categories: Animals, fruit/vegetable, country/capital, brand name, and the like. The categories are the same with every turn you play, but the letters are always different. Some letters give you extra points, and longer words give you bonuses. In that way, it’s not too different from the point system in Scrabble — although because the letters are digital, they’re a little bit more flexible in terms of variety.

The game is set to a timer, and you only have a limited amount of time to guess words in each category. It sounds easier than it actually is — it’s at once a sort of trivia game and word game combined, and it can be difficult just come up with a brand off the top of your head. (Worse yet, not all brands work — for example, a brand of my favourite Scotch didn’t work at all.)

Freezing the game freezes the time on your opponent’s clock too.

When you’re done, assuming there’s time left on the timer, you hit the Freeze button and freeze the timer for your opponents, shortening how long they have to play as well. And this pattern continues for three rounds, until there’s a victor.

It’s actually a very well-done, thoughtful game. I haven’t played anything entirely similar before (at least, not in recent memory), although it wouldn’t surprise me if something similar existed, and it offers a nice few twists on the popular word game genre. With friends and family, this game is a real blast. I think it’s fantastic that it can handle up to four players — even playing with three is a huge perk over the usual two-person limit.

When it’s all said and done, you’ll start to develop a stack of games that look like this. Don’t forget to enable push notifications!

The game uses Game Centre to match you up with players, which is a great little match, but it means that it encounters similar problems to what Letterpress encounters: players will take forever to play, or simply not play at all. This isn’t Freeze It’s fault, but it’s an unfortunate side effect of using iOS 7’s built-in system.

Holding Back

There are, however, some qualms I have with the game. The first is its over-use of the cold theme. I know the game is called Freeze It, but the blue theme and all the little aesthetic touches is a little much. The problem isn’t that it looks bad — overall, I don’t think it does, but I know it’s a matter of taste. The problem I have is that all that blue prevents me from immediately getting into the game and enjoying it.

Here’s a hint for you.

It’s not just because things are blue. It’s because they’re literally drenched in ice. It’s partially a mental thing, but if the game looks like it’s covered in ice, it makes any slow pace feel like the game is literally frozen. So any lag is basically unacceptable. It’s a tiny thing, but a noticeable one.

There are other elements of the game that don’t stand out as totally perfect to me. I understand perfection is unattainable, but I think the game might be priced a wee bit too high. I understand it’s free, but there are enough in-app purchases in the game that the $1.99 price point for a premium user package seems just a bit much. If it were priced at an impulse buy of $0.99, I would have no problem forking it over — even if it was just to try it.

I like the little trophies you get on the way, even though they’re purely link bait.

The rest of the in-app purchases are largely gravy. If you never purchase any of them, it’s probably not going to interfere with your enjoyment of the game, which is great. If you do purchase the premium package, you’re basically getting unlimited games and more game modes, plus turning off an in-game advertisement for a charity.

I do have to say this, though: I applaud the developer for supporting a charity in this way. Bonus points for that, absolutely. I almost feel guilty paying to get rid of that advertisement, and I can’t decide if that’s a good or a bad thing.

The Bottom Line

I’m harping a lot on a great game here, because Freeze It is a ton of fun. It’s a game that rewards fast-paced thinking, and it’s perfect for playing with the family around the Christmas season. What it really needs is an iPad app, and I have no idea if that’s coming or not, but if it was coming the game would feel like a little bit more of a staple — and even my iPad-toting, but smartphone-hating father could get in on the action.

As things stand, despite interface problems and a slightly overpriced in-app purchase for the premium user package, I have no problem recommending Freeze It. As a game, it’s entirely worth trying, and I can see your friends and family really enjoying it with you this winter. I know mine will.

The latest in the lineup of apps to receive my attention is CBS Sports. Recently redesigned for iOS 7, the app sports a slick new interface, as well as support for all of iOS 7′s gestures. Additionally, it offers support for a wide range of leagues and sports. Is it able to finally strike that balance between statistics and design?

Design and Performance

On the whole, CBS Sports is a slick app. The custom color scheme is distinctive and readable, all while staying true to iOS 7′s attempt to remove UI cruft and focus on what matters — content.

The app’s design is simple, but functional and clean.

The design of a sports app is not easy to nail: it must offer support for multiple sports and leagues. These sports often have little to do with each other, and so making one single app that encompasses all of the statistics and scores is no small feat. Additionally, most sports apps also include a stream of news for each specific sport or individual league, and sometimes for individual teams. Again, designers have to craft an app that is able to hold all of this information without allowing the program to feel constrained or difficult to manage.

More so than any other app I’ve tested, CBS Sports accomplishes this. Navigation is based around a sliding panel that includes every league and sport you could want, as well as “My Teams,” “Live Games,” and individual options for scores, news, videos, and Tweets.

Navigating the app is also simple, though there are many different leagues and sports to choose from.

The app itself performs very well, with news, scores, and team information being loaded very quickly. There is no lag to be found, even when browsing very long pages of information — more than that, nothing in the app (except for news articles) are displayed in a WebView. This keeps performance snappy.

Advertising is in certain parts of the app. For instance, I have seen ads in the News section. They appear as banner ads across the bottom of the screen, and aren’t particularly intrusive — I’d prefer an option to pay the developers some money, but I can tolerate a few advertisements that are tastefully executed.

The dark theme is useful for checking scores at night — but that advertisement takes away from the premium feel of the app.

While the app is, by default, very bright, an optional dark theme can be activated in the settings. I actually prefer the white theme, as it is easier to read for me, but the dark theme is very useful when you’re catching up on some news or scores right before bed. One small issue: you have to manually set the theme. With other apps cleverly using the ambient light sensor of the iPhone to do this automatically, I wish that CBS Sports would as well.

Compatibility

Sports are found across the globe, but few apps are able to bring in information and scores from the vast majority. Instead, they usually focus on one culture or continent.

CBS Sports follows this path in some ways. It does seem to heavily focus on North American, and specifically the United States, sports. Football with a pigskin, baseball, and basketball of all levels are represented throughout the program. The NHL and MLS are also along for the ride.

Notifications — and your favorite teams — can be configured in the settings.

Other sports and leagues, such as NASCAR, Formula 1, Premier League, and Mexican Primera are available. That isn’t the full list, but rather a taste of what is available. High school sports news is also available in some cases — I haven’t seen that in any iOS sports app yet, so it’s an interesting addition that seems to work well. That alone may put this particular app over the top — no more looking up the latest sports news in the local newspaper!

Using CBS Sports

When you first open the app, you are prompted to add your favorite teams. These teams go under the creatively-named category of “My Teams” and are quickly accessible in order to check scores, news, and schedules.

I suggest setting this up, as it also enables one of the best features of the app. You can swipe from the right any place in the app to reveal the list of teams you had previously added — it’s great for checking multiple scores or statistics at once, and finding team-specific news that might otherwise slip past you.

The list of your favorite teams or clubs is accessible anywhere in the app, making it easy to check specific scores, schedules, or statistics.

You can also set up notifications on a per-team basis for that list. The notifications work well, and deliver information and scores quickly. You can also edit your list of favorite teams in the settings, under the notification option.

Final Thoughts

There is only one annoying aspect to CBS Sports: those pesky ads that pop up occasionally. I have an extreme (odd?) hatred of in-app advertising, particularly for something that I would gladly pay good money for. However, since CBS has opted to keep the ads relatively minimal, this hasn’t discouraged me from using the app.

As it stands, CBS Sports has replaced Yahoo! Sports. It offers a similar amount of functionality, but with a better design and less-intrusive advertisements to pay for that information.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/cbs-sports-is-the-best-sports-app-for-iphone/feed/Jonathan KizerNetatmo: Monitor the Weather While You’re Not Homehttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe99/sc/5/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Clifestyle0Cnetatmo0Emonitor0Ethe0Eweather0Ewhile0Eyoure0Enot0Ehome0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Netatmo-icon.png" alt="" /> Last month, I was loafing round the house with my phone wondering how cold it was outside. Being the ridiculously technology-glued person I am, I started searching for a weather station that integrates with the Web, tablets, and smartphones. (Obviously, stepping into the sun was out of the question, because I’m a vampire [they’re real]). [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe99/sc/5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/sc/5/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/sc/5/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/sc/5/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578661/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe99/a2t.img" border="0"/>iphoneLifestyleiosweathernetatmo reviewhome stationThu, 26 Dec 2013 10:00:19 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/netatmo-monitor-the-weather-while-youre-not-home/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49601Last month, I was loafing round the house with my phone wondering how cold it was outside. Being the ridiculously technology-glued person I am, I started searching for a weather station that integrates with the Web, tablets, and smartphones. (Obviously, stepping into the sun was out of the question, because I’m a vampire [they’re real]). After a few clicks, I found the Netatmo, a very slick looking solution to checking the weather when you’re not in a walking mood.

The very idea of this may sound ridiculous, I know. However, there is a purpose for everything and I decided to give Netatmo a try. After all, Wired and Time wouldn’t feature it unless there is something more than the basic weather station. Or so I thought.

Configuration

I didn’t expect Netatmo’s setup to be that difficult, but it gave me some small surprises. First, it uses Bluetooth to connect to the device if you’re on a smartphone. This isn’t bad, but the included manual makes it seem like you have to use your computer to get started. It depicts a two-step setup process, first telling you to plug in the indoor model and insert the batteries in the outdoor one and then to head to a website. A QR code would be nice for this, but otherwise the webpage is perfect. It sends you to the Play or App Store to download the app for Netatmo.

On a mobile device, Netatmo’s app will ask you to first sign up for an account, then activate Bluetooth and connect to the device wirelessly. This is much better than the tethered computer setup (more on that in a minute). The app will then ask you for the WiFi network and password you’d like to use — it runs through your network. Overall, mobile setup is very easy.

Setup on a computer is quite easy.

If you use your computer to set up the device, you’ll need to plug the main station into it. At first I thought I did something wrong, because configuring the weather station on a mobile device was effortless. If you’re setting up a convenience device, you shouldn’t have to plug it in, especially if it supports Bluetooth. After all, every modern computer includes this wireless technology. Upon plugging in the device, setup is just as easy as on mobile.

My main complaint about the setup is not that it takes too long, but that it isn’t explained very well. Online documentation is hard to find because it’s buried in the Web app, not on the homepage of the developers website. If you need help, you are asked to contact Netatmo, which is based in Paris. The company puts a lot of the weight on the support team here. To find all the documentation, Netatmo requires you go to one of their apps and browse the Help section. It needs to be more straightforward. A little pamphlet doesn’t do the job.

The Hardware

The indoor base station.

The main reason I considered Netatmo is because it looks like an Apple product. The hardware is very minimal, taking up only a few inches of space on your living room or kitchen counter. It looks very modern, too. In fact, it’s so attractive that your friends will inquire about the device, whereas they wouldn’t even care about any other weather station. The Netatmo stations give the impression that you are a high-class individual who cares about his home and wants to make sure it’s a healthy and comfortable environment.

If you don’t have a smartphone or a computer at hand and want to know what the temperature is outside, Netatmo’s clean design will let you down. Unfortunately, each station is not much more than a sensor. The indoor unit has an additional touch sensor on top to provide an instant measurement, including CO2, which is reflected by the large light on the front of the device. Other than that, you can only rely on this weather system to provide temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and CO2 readings. Sadly, the company doesn’t offer a wind meter.

The outdoor unit.

There’s no true “live reading” offered by this station. It posts updates every five minutes, which means the temperature may have changed by the time you look at the report. Even the on-demand measurement takes a minute or two to post.

CO2 isn’t too bad.

At first, I wondered why CO2 was even important in a home environment. Netatmo’s constant alerts that my CO2 level was above 1000 ppm gave me more reason to question its significance. It sent me an alert for this at least once a day, which made me wonder if placing the indoor module in my personal bedroom was a bad idea. So, I moved it to the kitchen downstairs and performed an on-demand measurement with the touch sensor. It faded in an orange color, telling me the CO2 was higher than normal. In the app, I found that it spiked, hitting 800, so I re-calibrated it. This didn’t fix the notifications so I had to create my own with a different trigger at 1500 instead of 1000.

You may have noticed that the indoor device is always plugged into the wall in the photos. Why? It doesn’t have a battery. So, if you have an island in your kitchen or want to put the device on a coffee table in the dining room, you’ll need to find a way to plug it in. That isn’t as convenient as it should be. I have another $20 weather station at my house that takes batteries to remain completely wireless. Then again, it doesn’t use WiFi or connect to the Internet.

Battery Life

Speaking of batteries, the outdoor model requires two AAAs. (The indoor model is always plugged in to the wall so you don’t have to worry about keeping it powered.) Rather than connect to the network, it seems to use a low-power radio frequency to report to the main station, yielding great battery life. After using it for three weeks the app still showed the outdoor unit had a full battery. (To be fair, there isn’t a percentage, so it could be inaccurate.) Going by this, I’d expect it to last at least six months on new batteries.

The Software

If your Internet is down, you can’t talk to the station locally. It has to go through the developer’s servers first.

This weather station is special: it doesn’t work without apps. Whether you’re on a PC, Mac, Android, or iOS device, there’s an app available. For Mac, Netatmo doesn’t offer a native app, but does recommend a $2 third party menu bar one called Baratmo. It has far less information than the Web app, but claims to be more convenient for some users. On PC and Linux, setup apps are available. Otherwise, you’re stuck with a Web app.

Forecasts are not generated from the device, but from a French weather service.

Before I talk about each app, there’s a bit they all have in common: forecasts. My question when I first got this station was, “Does it predict the weather on its own?” Alas, it’s not that advanced, which is surprising because even cheap standalone stations use a barometer to predict the next three to five days. Netatmo uses something different: forecasts from Meteo France. Since this is a Europe-centered weather provider, it’s unlikely that their U.S. information is very accurate.

Setup is the same on all devices, but the Android app quit before I could even reach the sign in page. After a few crashes and a full reboot of my device, I was able to sign in to Netatmo’s Android app and start using it to monitor things. The main screen’s design behaves like cards, one of them being the outdoor module and the other the indoor one. By default, they will be split to each use half the screen and provide equal amounts of information, but if you swipe the lower card down, the outdoor forecast is revealed. Likewise, swiping it up will reveal the air quality and decibel level of the indoor environment.

Navigating the Android app isn’t difficult, but the card layout isn’t the best way to present the data. It would be better to have a scrolling page, much like what Yahoo has done with its weather app. A button at the top to toggle whether indoor or outdoor info is being displayed would also suffice. One nifty feature is the graph, which can be found when you tilt your phone into landscape. Netatmo lets you view a fullscreen graph of the temperature, humidity, pressure, CO2, and decibel level of both modules. You can scroll back and forth to see what time the measurements were taken at.

The main screen on Android.

Graphically, everything is quite clear on my Moto X, which has a high-definition 1280 by 720 display. Navigating from one thing to another is snappy, too. I did have some problems with the Events screen, which displays the notifications the station posts. When the CO2 was over the designated threshold, a red alert would be displayed at the top of the Events screen, along with a More Info button. Typically, this button would only be displayed to check on an alert from the national weather service. It turned out being one of the little bugs, but got me thinking: why not include a recalibration option after the CO2 has peaked a few times? After all, the unit could need to be reset.

Tilt the device to view a graph of the activity.

In my use, the Android app wasn’t half as bad as I expected. For one, it actually worked. Its interface is modern and doesn’t use elements from pre–4.0 Android, which makes it much more pleasant to use. Setting up my station using the app was easy (once I got the app to stay open) and my only real complaint about it is that the Settings are only available on a webpage, which is embedded in the app. It doesn’t feel fully native when the account preferences are on a mobile website.

The iOS and Android apps are almost identical. I was surprised how little difference there was between the two platforms. While this makes things easier to use across the board, the app maintains its own design standard, which can confuse users in places. Navigation, for example, is not like your typical iOS app. Rather than a menu at the bottom or in a drawer to the side, there’s a one-screen approach to things. Outdoor weather is on the top and indoor is on the bottom. You can swipe the indoor pane up and down to view it or the outdoor one.

The iPhone app has multiple (confusing) layers.

I personally don’t think this navigation approach is the most intuitive. For one thing, it always resets your viewing preferences. That means if you had the indoor pane hidden, it will be back to normal when you exit and return to the app. I found that annoying, but I expect the developers to fix some of these issues when they redesign the app for iOS 7 (which, hopefully, is happening soon).

The iPad app is perfect: you can see everything on one screen.

On iPad, the Netatmo app is a different story entirely. It makes use of the screen size very well and I very much preferred using the service on a tablet. The design stays the same, but there’s no need to swipe up and down to view all the information: it’s available on one page. The user interface as a whole is very rough around the edges, but I really enjoy being able to see everything at once. In fact, it makes me think that the best way to display this information on an iPhone is with a scrolling interface. Since the screen space is limited, why not make it a short page to scroll through? That’s what most weather apps do and it’s a good way of displaying data.

The app keeps reminding you about graphs.

Overall, the iOS app works, but is very unpolished. It didn’t crash as often as the Android one, thankfully. Despite its upsides, I find myself wishing there were alternatives, because it’s not a joy to use. It seems that the company put the good designers on the hardware and left the software in the cold. It’s quite a shame, but going by their update history, the developers do care about their users. We can hope for the best.

It’s not the prettiest thing, but Netatmo’s Web app gets things done. If you need to check the conditions at your home while you’re traveling, you can do so on any computer with Internet access. There’s a lot more available in the Web app, though. It lets you view the graphed history of the temperature, humidity, pressure, CO2, and sound (in decibels) of your indoor unit, as well as the 7-day forecast, temperature, and humidity of your outdoor one. This can be great for reference and it’ll go back as far as you’ve had the device.

Browsing the weather in a browser.

The Web app also lets you view all the alerts your station has posted. So, if you don’t have your phone with you and need to know if your home is okay, heading to my.netatmo.com and signing in to your account will bring up all the goodies. Clicking the small notepad icon in the top right opens the app’s notifications panel, which will have CO2, temperature, and even national weather alerts. It’s handy, but you can’t click the National Weather Service alerts to see what they say. When I could see snowy clouds approaching, the alert read, “Winter Weather Advisory issued November 20 at 2:42PM PST until November 21 at 12:00PM PST by NWS”. That’s not helpful when I can’t view the whole report.

Lots of graphs.

Idiosyncrasies are common in the Web app. Overall, it feels like an stretched mobile website — without responsive design. If you head to the settings screen (the gear icon in the top right of the screen), you’ll be reminded of the mobile app. Navigating this on a computer feels strange. Otherwise, the Web app is very useful. It displays the same amount of data that the mobile ones do without the need to download anything. I would like to see some desktop notifications for Safari on OS X Mavericks and Chrome on Windows, but otherwise the Web app isn’t too bad. It’s nice that the developer made a website to access your weather data on any device.

A Nifty, but Unnecessary Luxury

Nifty, but there’s a price.

During the three weeks I tested it, I noticed my usage of Netatmo had significantly declined since the novelty of having the device wore off after the first few days. It reminded me that it existed when I got alerts about CO2 in my house, but other than that I didn’t find it as useful as I had hoped. For five years, I’ve been using a cheap $30 wireless weather station that requires two double-A batteries. It’s never failed me. Sure, it doesn’t offer all the fancy statistics that Netatmo does, but do we really need that?

Netatmo is a superfluous little gadget. It has a very slim set of features and, while it gets the job done, there’s so much more to ask for. If the price is $180, why not include a way to measure wind speed and direction? All the other “dumb” home stations out there include this and other advanced features. Netatmo provides an elegance they don’t, but when it comes to weather, most people want functionality first. A representative from the company told me that Netatmo does plan to release a wind meter “at the beginning of next year”, which is good to hear, but expect it to cost extra.

This device barely scratches the surface of the weather industry, but it pioneers a new one. It could be one of the first steps into personal weather that syncs to your phone. Right now, though, it’s not going anywhere and it certainly isn’t worth the hefty price.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/netatmo-monitor-the-weather-while-youre-not-home/feed/Jacob PenderworthOceanhorn is My Game of the Yearhttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cgames0Ereviews0Coceanhorn0Eis0Emy0Egame0Eof0Ethe0Eyear0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-9.26.33-PM.png" alt="" /> It’s been a long time since I owned a Nintendo system that I actually used (that old Gamecube still works though), but I have really fond memories of some of the games I used to play. I get cravings for a few of them on iOS: namely, Mario Kart, Super Mario 64 (if Nintendo made [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/sc/27/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578660/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9a/a2t.img" border="0"/>rpgactionOceanhornZeldaadventureGamesWed, 25 Dec 2013 19:00:37 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/games-reviews/oceanhorn-is-my-game-of-the-year/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49953It’s been a long time since I owned a Nintendo system that I actually used (that old Gamecube still works though), but I have really fond memories of some of the games I used to play. I get cravings for a few of them on iOS: namely, Mario Kart, Super Mario 64 (if Nintendo made that happen I’d die), and a Legend of Zelda game.

Well, with Oceanhorn, my request for the latter has been answered with a fantastic adventure RPG that pulls out all the stops in an effort to amaze me. And amaze me it has, to the point where Oceanhorn has absolutely become my game of the year. Read on to find out what makes Oceanhorn a must-play experience.

Remember Wind Waker?

I’m going to get nostalgic with you for a minute and say that my favourite Zelda game wasn’t Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask. Those were incredible, amazing games, but the first adventure with Link that got me truly hooked was Wind Waker (I was late to get a console). The game had stylized graphics that, in retrospect, were very cool, and set you on an adventure in the high seas.

Oceanhorn has you sailing the high seas on an epic adventure.

In that aspect, Oceanhorn is remarkably similar. The game sets you on an adventure through the high seas that finds you moving from one island to the next, developing relationships with locals, and exploring dungeons as you try to stop a darkness from overwhelming the land (I’m being purposefully vague here). The story is actually fairly in-depth and involved, and for the record, it’s told very well.

The game has a similar mix of Zelda’s exploring, puzzle-solving, and combat, and pulls it off so well that calling it a Zelda clone is easy. And I don’t mean that in a bad way; rather, it feels like a joy to be playing one this good on my iOS devices, of all things.

Of course, there’s lots of adventure to be had on foot too.

As you play, your character will collect coins for purchases, level up, get new items, and defeat dungeon bosses. The formula is very familiar, but it works extremely well. The level design is great. A mini-map sits on the top right of the screen that often reveals nearby treasures, but also activates a touch-based Start menu that takes full advantage of the touch technology in iOS.

Controlling a Console-like Game

Speaking of that, I suppose it’s important I spend a little bit of time talking about the controls. Touch controls are really hard to master for a lot of games, and I’ve played some adventure games that simply can’t do it properly. Some games, like the popular Infinity Blade series, don’t bother with exploration at all and just throw gamers from battle to battle.

The Zelda-like inspiration doesn’t end with the visuals.

Oceanhorn gets it right. The game treats the entire screen like a movable trigger, so as you move around, your thumb (or finger) can drift around the screen to control the character. The Action button is prominently-placed and contextual. That sounds like it could often mess up and do the wrong thing, but I haven’t had any issues yet.

The worst thing I can say about the controls is that I sometimes get into the game and lose track of where my thumb, is spinning it around a few times on my iPad. That’s certainly not Oceanhorn’s fault.

I love the displayed objectives whenever you arrive on a new island.

To Oceanhorn’s credit, there is included support for the iOS 7’s controllers, but I haven’t seen many on the market — and from what I’ve heard, there aren’t any currently available for iPad. But it’s good to know the support is there; whenever a great controller is released there will be zero concerns from me.

The same care that has been put into the controls has been reflected in every part of this game: the experience is entirely bug-free, the visuals are amazing on both my iPhone 5 and my iPad Air, and the whole thing feels like a console experience from top to bottom thanks to things like the fantastic soundtrack from the composer behind the Final Fantasy series.

The game rewards you on the way with smart Trophies.

Oceanhorn means serious business, and I’m glad to see a game like this conquering most of iOS’s issues. Like I said, though, it’s only conquering most of the issues.

What’s Missing

For me, the biggest irritant is a lack of sync between devices. I understand that syncing is incredibly hard to do, so I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but I think it’s an obvious must for a game like this. I was more than a little irritated to find out my iPhone was starting with a fresh game after playing on my iPad for more than an hour just before that.

Dungeon exploration and puzzle solving is really well done.

Beyond that, most of the issues I’m encountering are device-small and almost moot. I think the game needs to be zoomed in just a touch on the iPhone screen, or the buttons need to be just a hair larger, but I understand that supporting all these different screen sizes makes that difficult. I much prefer to play the game on my iPad, which isn’t a ding against the developer because that’s simply a matter of luxury and taste.

The Bottom Line

Oceanhorn is incredible. To tell you a lot about it would be to spoil many of the surprises in store. As much as its a Zelda clone, it’s also a refreshing take on the gaming landscape on iOS. Everything about it feels supercharged compared to most games available on the platform. The story, controls, level design, atmosphere, and graphics are all top-notch and console-level quality.

For me — and I’m sure many others — Oceanhorn is one of the signs of a maturing platform. It feels like, in some ways, iOS is starting to arrive at console gaming’s doorstep and knock. I don’t want to see consoles go away, but I want to be able to play truly great games wherever I go. And Oceanhorn is truly a great game.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/games-reviews/oceanhorn-is-my-game-of-the-year/feed/Nathan SnelgroveThe Best Free & Paid Alternatives to First-Party Appshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Croundups0Clifestyle0Eroundups0Cthe0Ebest0Efree0Epaid0Ealternatives0Eto0Efirst0Eparty0Eapps0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/appstore.jpg" alt="" /> My first iOS experience came by way of an iPod Touch that was given to me at Christmas in 2008. I remember feverishly setting it up so I could comb the App Store for goodies; making sure to download all the best apps and games available at the time. Now that Christmas is upon us [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578659/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9b/a2t.img" border="0"/>MusicapplemapsLifestylecalendarmailWed, 25 Dec 2013 13:00:27 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/roundups/lifestyle-roundups/the-best-free-paid-alternatives-to-first-party-apps/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=50188My first iOS experience came by way of an iPod Touch that was given to me at Christmas in 2008. I remember feverishly setting it up so I could comb the App Store for goodies; making sure to download all the best apps and games available at the time. Now that Christmas is upon us this year, some fortunate few are being introduced to iOS for the first time.

When you find your way into the App Store for the first time, you’ll soon discover that it houses a lot of apps. Like, millions. Many of them bring a unique feature to the iPhone that you don’t get from first-party apps, but then there are the apps that compete with Apple’s offerings. Now, being that Apple owns and operates iOS, its apps often include killer features that you won’t find in third-party alternatives. However, even with this advantage, some third-party apps are capable of offering a superior experience.

With this in mind, I’ve rounded up a list of what I believe to be the best free and paid alternatives to Apple’s first-party iOS apps. Read on and get ready to download!

Sunrise Calendar has been my go-to calendar app since my initial review in April. I got a chance to review version 2.0 in October, in which I stated “there’s no other app I would recommend more than Sunrise” if you’re looking for an alternative to Calendar.app. What makes Sunrise so great is its UI and social element, which allows you to connect to most of your social network accounts (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, LinkedIn). In addition, Sunrise supports both Google and iCloud calendars, with Exchange support in the works.

Without a doubt, Fantastical 2 is the most popular and well known third-party calendar app. If you talk to most app enthusiasts, they’ll recommend it above all other calendar apps (Calendars 5 is also a well respected calendar app). It’s popularity and praise isn’t unmerited, as Fantastical 2 offers a really slick and intuitive calendar experience. It also features Reminders implementation, which works extremely well (so much so that Fantastical 2 could easily be my paid alternative for Reminders.app). One thing to note is that the $1.99 price tag is a holiday sale, so you best download Fantastical 2 quickly before it returns to its regular price of $2.99.

Mail

Mail.app is one of a few third-party apps I prefer over third-party alternatives. It supports a wide variety of email clients, is simple to use and its VIP feature allows me to determine when I receive a notification for emails. With that being said, there are many great third-party alternatives available in the App Store.

Much like Fantastical 2 and Calendar.app, Mailbox is widely considered to be the best alternative to Mail.app. The app focuses on helping you reach mailbox zero (i.e. a mailbox free of emails) by way of quick swipes that allow you to delete and archive emails, as well as snooze emails for when they need to be addressed or adding emails to a task list. With support for Gmail, iCloud and Yahoo (other platform support “coming soon”), many users can benefit from Mailbox’s unique approach to email management. The only downside to Mailbox, in my opinion, is that it does not allow for selective notifications (i.e. you can either turn notifications for all emails either on or off).

Considered by many to be one of the best mail apps when it was released (for both iOS and OS X), Sparrow was purchased by Google in Summer 2012. Sparrow remains in the App Store, but has only received a small number of updates (including a new icon) since the buyout. Regardless, the app still features a fantastic user experience that simplifies email management in a more traditional manner (in contrast to Mailbox). It’s worth noting that the app never received push notification support, and probably never will, and only support Gmail accounts. So take those both into consideration before purchasing.

Maps

Apple Maps received a great deal of criticism upon it release, which has subsided a bit now that it’s improved a great deal. I’ve tried Apple Maps a handful of times, which nearly all ended up bring positive experiences. With that being said, Apple Maps still can’t outshine it competition in a lot of ways.

Waze has been my to-go navigation app for over a year now, and I couldn’t be happier. Unlike most apps in this category, Waze relies on users to report traffic issues (e.g. accidents, construction, cops). As you’re driving, you’ll be alerted of these issues if they’ve been reported, or you can help out other Wazers by reporting issues yourself. Waze is also great about finding alternative routes so you can avoid traffic jams. Coming from experience, it’s best to trust Waze’s recommended routes as it’ll often get you to where you’re going with fewer headaches.

Paid alternatives are available in the App Store, such as TomTom, Garmin and NAVIGON, but I see no reason why you should paid $20-40 for a navigation app when Google Maps is also available for free. While Waze is my preferred navigation app, Google Maps is much better at searching for businesses, restaurants and other fun places to visit. Tack on live traffic and incident reports, Street View and transit direction in over 800 cities, and Google Maps has easily become most individuals go-to app for their navigation needs.

Weather

Weather.app is another first-party app that I quite enjoy. It has a great visual design and offers enough information to be useful. On the flip side, however, the app lacks support of certain features I find indispensable, such as radar and notifications for storm and tornado warnings. Luckily, the App Store is rotten with great alternatives.

Yahoo Weather recently won a Apple Design Award, and it’s not difficult to see why. The app presents weather information in a very clean manner, while also features beautiful photography by way of Flicker. I’ve always considered it to be a pro version of Weather.app, as it presents most of the same information in a very similar manner (Yahoo provides weather information in Weather.app). With the inclusion of wind & pressure, sunrise & sunset, precipitation and radar, Yahoo is a incredibly informative and stylish alternative.

Providing extensive weather data and an intuitive UI isn’t an easy feat, which I’ve only seen accomplished well in Weather Line. It’s currently my de facto weather app, and for good reason. The app displays all information within a single view, which is divided into three sections–weather line graph, current conditions and rain prediction–and each section displays a specific set of information. Specifically, the weather line graph can be sorted by hours, day (up to 7 days) and month (displays monthly averages).

The best part is that rain prediction and weather information is provided by Forecast.io, which is a great weather website that you can save to your homescreen. If you’re interested in Weather Line, you best act fast as the price will return to $2.99 after the holiday sale ends.

Camera

Camera.app is really one of the best first-party apps available in iOS. It’s fast and offers a very intuitive UI, and is accessible from so many places (tapping the app icon, from the lockscreen and via Control Center). I’ve never been partial to third-party alternatives in this case, but that doesn’t mean great alternatives aren’t available.

VSCO Cam represents a minor set of free Camera.app alternatives, and does so with flair. As a shooter, the app offers some handy presets that are easy to toggle, and shots typically turn out pretty well. VSCO Cam’s strong suit, however, it is vast number of filters and editing options. It’s also really easy to undo a change you make or start your edits from scratch. Best of all, the app is super stylish and simple to use. It’s worth noting that the app doesn’t shoot video, so you’ll have to use Camera.app in those instances.

Camera+–not to be confused with Camera Plus, which is a separate app–has been the number one Camera.app alternative for a number of years now. It’s a powerful shooter and editor with a great deal of features that’s sure to please most mobile photography enthusiasts. However, competition from the likes of Afterlight and Faded, both fantastic alternatives as well, doesn’t make Camera+ a no brainer. With that being said, I still prefer Camera+ at this time, but you won’t go wrong with any of these paid alternatives.

Reminders

Due to its integration into iOS, and its accessibility OS X and the iCloud website, Reminders.app became my preferred to-do/list app earlier this year. I love being able to quickly add a reminder via Siri, and it’s great being able to share lists with my fiance. However, the App Store is full of great third-party GTD, to-do and list apps if Reminders.app isn’t your thing.

This option is really a toss-up between Any.DO and Wunderlist. Both are excellent to-do/list apps that offer cross platform functionality and are easy to use. However, the style of each app is quite different. I prefer Any.DO because of its minimalist design, powerful feature set (e.g. location based reminders, voice entry, monthly agenda planning, auto suggestions). If you opt for Any.DO you might consider checking out Cal, which is a calendar app developed by the same developer and works harmoniously with Any.DO.

The amount of quality paid to-do/list apps is tremendous. As you can see from the honorable mentions, you have a number of great options available for your choosing, and each offers a unique approach that makes it easy for you to find the right app for your needs. Things gets my pick because it’s and app I used above all the others for over a year (before transitioning to Reminders). It’s a powerful GTD app that offers a great deal of features and tools to help track everything you need to accomplish, and it great for individuals that need a bit more than what Reminders has to offer. Things also has an iPad and OS X app, so you can manage all of your tasks from multiple devices.

The downside to Thing is its barrier to entry, with the iPhone app costing $10, iPad app $20 and OS X $50. In contrast OmniFocus will cost $140 for all three apps, where as Clear will cost $15 ($12 if you act now thanks to a holiday sale). All other honorable mentions are restricted to iPhone only (except for This Week, which uses Reminders integration).

Notes

Notes.app is great if you just want a place to write a few notes here and there. The fact that notes are saved to iCloud, which means they can be accessed on another iOS device, OS X computer and the iCloud website, is a added benefit. My main gripe with Notes.app, however, is that it’s a bit too simple.

Simplenote may be a surprising choice considering Evernote is easily the more popular choice, but I find it to be best alternative to Notes.app for a few reasons. First, as the name would imply, the app is rather simple to use; just give notes a title and begin writing away. You can even add tags and pins to help sort your notes. Simplenote is also available on OS X and the Simplenote website, so you can access notes from almost anywhere. Evernote is a great option as well, but it’s more cumbersome to use as it offers a great deal more features (great for those that need it).

If there’s an app that’s in perfect contrast to Simplenote, it’s Drafts. A beautiful and feature packed note app, Drafts is a great option for individuals that need support for markdown and actions (e.g. email, message, URL, Dropbox/Evernote), or care about fonts and themes. You can also use Draft to create messages that can then be sent to Twitter, Facebook, email and text messages. It’s a bit much for my needs, but I’ve never heard a bad thing about Drafts from it’s large base of users.

Safari

Choosing an alternative to Safari is difficult. Not because quality third-party alternatives aren’t available, but mostly because of how inconvenient it is to use a third-party browser. Any time you tap a link in a message, email or other app, Safari is the default app that will open said link and there’s nothing you can do to change that (short of Jailbreaking, but that’s another discussion). So, if you’re thinking about making a switch to one of the following suggestions, keep in mind that you’ll probably need to copy all links, manually open the third-party browser and paste the link in the address bar.

Let me just say that Chrome is a good option for those that use Chrome as their desktop browser, but for me it’s by no means the best alternative browser on iOS. That title belongs to Dolphin browser, which is chock-full of great features that’s sure to please most users. For starters, you can sync tabs and bookmarks, and send webpages directly to your phone by way of a Safari, Chrome or Firefox extension. Dolphin also makes it easy to share web pages to your social feeds or via email, or save them to your Evernote or Box accounts. I’m also fond of the gesture controls and sonar (i.e. voice) feature (sonar is a $0.99 in-app purchase).

Similar to navigation apps, paid third-party browser apps are available in the App Store but aren’t nearly as good as the free alternatives. Case in point is Mercury Web Browser, which matches most of Dolphin Browser’s feature set and then piles more on top. Browser syncing (Chrome and Firefox only), gestures, and private browser a few features found in both apps. Mercury Web Browser, however, also offers plugins, a reader mode (similar to Safari), Dropbox integration, full screen browsing, ad block, autofill and desktop mode (a really cool feature that tricks the webpage into thinking that you’re using a desktop browser).Price: FreeDeveloper:iLegendSoftDownload:App Store

Music

There are some fantastic alternative methods to listen to music on your iPhone. Rdio is my preferred method, but Spotify, Pandora and iHeartRadio are all great options. However, for the purposes of this list, I’m going to focus on alternative apps that allow you to play music already saved to your phone or are available in your iTunes Match library.

MacPaw is known for developing some great OS X apps (CleanMyMac, Gemini, MacHider), but earlier this month they released their first iOS and it’s a doozy. Billed as “the gesture music player,” Listen is a uniquely designed music player app that can be used with a few swipes. Using the app feels a bit alien at first, but becomes familiarly quite quickly. I opted to skip the tutorial to see if I could figure out the controls myself, and after a few minutes I had everything down pat. Listen is so distinctly different than Music.app, but it’s a fantastic alternative for those looking for something fun to use.

In contrast to Listen, Ecoute is more of a “traditional” music player that will feel familiar for Music.app users. Having recently received an iOS 7 inspired makeover, the app is beautifully simplistic that allows album art to take center stage. Navigating in and out of the player view is a fun experience, as is accessing the filters. If you’re a fan of the Modern UI featured in Windows Phone 8, Track 8 is really nice option that’s a pleasure to use.

Podcasts

Unlike the other first-party apps listed previously, Podcasts isn’t automatically installed on iPhones and must be installed via the App Store. It’s a free and serviceable app that I’ve reviewed not once, but twice (you can check out the most recent review here). However, it is by no means the best podcast app available. Not even close.

Pod Wrangler is the default winner in the free category, as most great podcast app alternatives aren’t free. It’s definitely worth mentioning that the app is ad supported, which can be removed via an in-app purchase (so, put an asterisk next to the free price tag). Regardless, Pod Wrangler is an excellent podcast app that simplifies the approach Apple took with Podcasts. Lists and individuals podcasts are accessible via the main view, and adding new podcasts is a simple enough process. If you like podcasts, but don’t want to “splurge” for a paid alternative, then Pod Wrangler is a no brainer.

Anyone that’s followed my writing here on AppStorm knows I’m an avid fan of Pocket Casts. It’s been my go-to podcast app for over two years, and for good reason. It’s beautifully designed and offers a great hands-on experience. I especially love the podcasts directory, which is where you can browse and add podcasts–it ultimately feels like a separate store than just another part of the app.

Another great aspect of Pocket Casts is dynamic episode filters, which you can create to auto-populate episodes of pre-determined podcasts. If you’re interested in a more simplified podcast app experience, then Castro may just be the thing you’re looking for.

Wrapping Up

That’s all for my recommendations, and I hope you found at least one or two great new apps to download. If I missed an alternative option that you love, make sure to let everyone know in the comments!

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/roundups/lifestyle-roundups/the-best-free-paid-alternatives-to-first-party-apps/feed/Jesse VirgilA Beautiful Mess is a Great Photo-editing Accessoryhttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Clifestyle0Ca0Ebeautiful0Emess0Eis0Ea0Egreat0Ephoto0Eediting0Eaccessory0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-2.52.20-AM.png" alt="" /> If there’s one thing I’m addicted to about my iPhone, it’s the camera-taking experience. I love Instagram. When I do creative work, it’s the place I share my progress with my friends and followers (so long as the client allows it). It’s also where I share photos my other loves: coffee, technology, and more coffee. [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578658/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9c/a2t.img" border="0"/>Photographyphoto collagesInstagram collagesLifestyleA Beautiful MessinstagramTue, 24 Dec 2013 19:00:38 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/a-beautiful-mess-is-a-great-photo-editing-accessory/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49889If there’s one thing I’m addicted to about my iPhone, it’s the camera-taking experience. I love Instagram. When I do creative work, it’s the place I share my progress with my friends and followers (so long as the client allows it). It’s also where I share photos my other loves: coffee, technology, and more coffee. (I promise I have real friends; I just keep most of my relationships private.)

Some apps make the Instagram experience a little better, though. One of my favourites (apart from the indisputably excellent VSCO Cam) has been around a long time, and it’s called A Beautiful Mess. I’ve been meaning to review it for a while, but I decided to let the developer finish up the iOS 7 update. It was worth the wait. Read on to find out more about what makes this a great, and fully-featured, photo editor for picture sharing.

Feature-packed

A beautiful mess isn’t quite like VSCO or Instagram, in that it’s not all about features. There are certainly features in the app (people would probably dock it marks if it didn’t include filters, only because they’re so popular), but they aren’t the selling point. The selling point is how easy it is to frame pictures, put doodles on them, or even add a few words to them.

If you’ve ever seen a picture that looked like this, chances are it was made with an app like A Beautiful Mess.

You’ve likely seen collages on Instagram with a cute saying splashed on top. This is one of the apps people make those with.

But again, A Beautiful Mess is more than just the sum of its parts, because that would be to avoid mentioning all of its parts. Instead of just applying a filter or adding a few words of text, you can add hand-drawn doodles from real designers — or even make your own. Collage support is a part of the iOS 7 update, and it’s a really nifty feature.

You can also add colours to collages or photos or use nifty backgrounds for text instead of photos. One of the big improvements with the app is the addition of another fifty million different typefaces and doodles, all of which are fantastic, but most of which come at a cost. I love that the app includes popular favourites like Proxima (I adore Proxima) and Lobster Two.

Collages look great.

When you’re done editing a photo, it’s automatically saved to your photo roll and optionally exported to different social networks like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Interestingly, you can select the resolution you’d like to export the photo at, which is great for those of us who are on more data-sensitive carrier plans.

Designing a Photo App

One of the more impressive things about A Beautiful Mess is that its interface, which rocks some serious transparency and some awesome parallax effects. (When you’re done editing a photo, check out the screen asking what you’d like to do next. Moving the phone around moves the entire screen with it. It’s great.)

Applying effects is a piece of cake.

The nicest things about the app design are the ways in which it encourages you to work more efficiently. Want to see how multiple different colours would look? As you go through and select them, you get live “previews” of your changes. I imagine these are even more impressive on a 5s, where you’d be getting a significant speed improvement. On my iPhone 5, I have no complaints.

The app updates everything on the fly though, and not just colour updates. Want to adjust some frames? That will render in real time. So will any font adjustments you make. You can pinch to zoom in or out on font and move it around without a problem. It’s a piece of cake to use, and because the focus is on your image, you never feel lost despite the plethora of features.

There are tons of different designs you can add to your photos, and each has been lovingly hand-crafted.

Interestingly enough, some elements of the app haven’t changed. The app doesn’t use a slide-out drawer for navigation, and much like your favourite social apps, it keeps all of its most-used tools right on the bottom of the screen for easy access. The iconography is fantastic; you can tell this came from a real designer.

In-app Purchases Galore

If there’s one thing that I have against the app, it’s all the in-app purchases. It’s not so much that they’re there. I understand that everybody, especially app developers, have to make money. But my problem is that I’m already paying $0.99 for the app, and all these different in-app purchases add up.

Getting all the fonts could end up costing you.

I know that fonts are expensive, but I’m not sure I feel comfortable spending $0.99 an additional ten times to unlock all the different doodles, typefaces, and built-in expressions in the app.

I think the problem is partially the original app pricing, which is a little conservative. If the app were $2.99 or $3.99 instead of $0.99, I would hope that would mean fewer in-app purchases and a better experience out of the gate for new users. It’s one thing to have to purchase in-app extras if the app is free, but with an upfront cost already attached, convincing me to spend money elsewhere is a losing battle no matter what app you are.

Final Thoughts

Despite the in-app purchases, you’re probably going to find a lot to like about A Beautiful Mess. I love the way the app lets me doctor up a few things before sharing to social networks. The new collages are fantastic and more numerous than most options out there, and the doodles and built-in sayings have only gotten better with updates.

The typography is superb, and yes, the filters are almost always worth using. I have yet to find a set of photos that filters can’t improve in this app. They almost always bring a sense of legibility to text that wasn’t there before, so you can tell they were constructed with a real sense of purpose in mind. If the filter-loving, thought-sharing part of you likes the idea of an app like A Beautiful Mess, it’s worth springing for. You’re going to love it.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/a-beautiful-mess-is-a-great-photo-editing-accessory/feed/Nathan SnelgroveAll-In-One Music Discovery with MTV Artistshttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cmusic0Call0Ein0Eone0Emusic0Ediscovery0Ewith0Emtv0Eartists0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/MTV-Artists-icon.jpg" alt="" /> Forget about Teen Mom and Jersey Shore: MTV is returning to their roots with their latest app, MTV Artists. Yes, you did hear correctly — MTV has exchanged their plethora of mediocre reality shows for what made the channel great from the start: music. Its goal? To make music discovery an easy process anytime, anywhere. [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/sc/38/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578657/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9d/a2t.img" border="0"/>iphoneMusicdiscoveryMTVTue, 24 Dec 2013 13:00:32 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/music/all-in-one-music-discovery-with-mtv-artists/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49949Forget about Teen Mom and Jersey Shore: MTV is returning to their roots with their latest app, MTV Artists.

Yes, you did hear correctly — MTV has exchanged their plethora of mediocre reality shows for what made the channel great from the start: music. Its goal? To make music discovery an easy process anytime, anywhere. Find out exactly what it brings to the table after the jump.

Design

Like many of the apps I use, MTV Artists’s design was the first thing that drew me to the app. The app itself features a clean, modern design, which allows the focus to be on the content as opposed to the design itself, which is always a good thing. The only thing that mars this clean image is the Pepsi ads that come at the bottom of nearly every page, which would be more annoying had this app been paid.

High quality photos and video dominate the interface of MTV Artists.

Most of the menus focus on media, such as photos of artists themselves, making the interface attractive from the start. It also allows users to be able to use the app from the start without having to spend much time figuring out how to use the app.

Functionality

While many music discovery apps serve as either a song identifier or an information database, MTV Artists is both. MTV Artists features an extensive database of information on thousands of different artists as well as some powerful search tools to find the music you want.

MTV Artists does not lack tools to help you find new artists to listen to. Several different collections are curated in the app, each of which has a panel of different artists that you can check out. Collections can be curated either by MTV, such as the Artists to Watch collection, or by guest artists such as Lorde or Mac Miller.

MTV Artists comes packed with tons of different collections, curated by both MTV staff and musicians alike.

Individual artist pages also recommend related bands, but the pages themselves do much more than that. All the information you’d possibly want on an artist: their biography, years active, and where they’re from, can be found on each individual artist page. Artist pages don’t lack media, either: photos of the band, videos of them playing music and interviews, and even a rundown of the artist’s top 10 songs in 90 seconds are available right at your fingertips. But strangely enough, there aren’t any links to the artist’s website available on the artist’s page.

Artist pages hold everything you’d ever want to know and more about all of your favorite artists.

Did you like what you have heard? Each artist page has links to buy the artist’s music, as well as links to purchase tickets to upcoming concerts.

The search tool in MTV Artists is also pretty strong. Not only can you look up different artists, but you can also look up those lyrics that have been stuck in your head for ages but never knew what song they belonged to. Lyric search works relatively well; unless the song is really obscure or the lyric you remember is too general, you won’t have a hard time finding the song you’re looking for.

Lyric search is one of MTV Artist’s most powerful tools.

Sound ID

Sound ID is MTV Artist’s song recognition mechanism. Possibly the app’s most powerful tool, it uses your phone’s microphone to listen to a song that may be playing, then it identifies the song and gives you information on both the song and its artist.

Unfortunately, Sound ID is either hit or miss: when it works, it works flawlessly; otherwise, it doesn’t work at all.

In my experience, Sound ID has either worked flawlessly or not at all. When it works, which is unfortunately not all too often, it identifies the right song, even if it is new or obscure. Strangely enough, it seems to work better when music is quieter as opposed to louder, and it is able to pick up sounds over the voices of other people in crowded situations. Still, the feature needs to be worked on to increase its reliability, as it has yet to work consistently for me.

The Verdict

All in all, MTV Artists does give a full music discovery experience to its users. It is one of the most well-rounded music discovery apps I have ever used: it provides tons of artist information, media, and ways to purchase both music and concert tickets upon first glance. Plus, it’s designed well, so you’re able to start discovering new music right off the bat.

However, the app does fall a bit short when it comes to functionality. As mentioned before, lyric search is a bit gimmicky; however, it has been improved a lot since the last version of the app. Sound ID, on the other hand, still does not live up to par, which is unfortunate seeing as it could have been MTV Artists’s most powerful tool.

MTV Artists is available for free on the App Store, and I would recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about the bands they love or want to find a whole new world of music despite its flaws.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/music/all-in-one-music-discovery-with-mtv-artists/feed/Rebecca TarnopolBlur Studio: Perfect iOS 7 Wallpapers, Every Timehttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cutilities0Cblur0Estudio0Eperfect0Eios0E70Ewallpapers0Eevery0Etime0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-13-at-1.41.31-AM.png" alt="" /> I’ve been giving some thought, recently, to many of iOS 7’s design changes. I’ve noticed that some of them have been seeping through into my own professional design — partially because I admire the work that’s been done and partially because I spend so much time on my iPhone. What we live with is often [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842578656/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3560fe9e/a2t.img" border="0"/>PhotographyUtilitieswallpaperscustom wallpapersiOS 7BlurBlur StudioMon, 23 Dec 2013 19:00:20 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/utilities/blur-studio-perfect-ios-7-wallpapers-every-time/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49804I’ve been giving some thought, recently, to many of iOS 7’s design changes. I’ve noticed that some of them have been seeping through into my own professional design — partially because I admire the work that’s been done and partially because I spend so much time on my iPhone. What we live with is often what inspires us, and sometimes not in the ways we expect.

There are three areas of iOS 7’s design that most strike me, though: the depth, the blurs, and the translucency — in other words, the subtlety with which layers and a nearly-tangible sense of depth is created in a virtual OS. It’s pretty incredible. I love the way, in particular, that wallpapers work within the system, and have spent a little more time than I’d care to admit selecting my own for a few weeks at a time before changing them just to see a new “effect” with the blurs and transparency effects. Although it’s not the only (or even the first) app to play with wallpapers and iOS 7-like blur effects, Blur Studio is my favourite. Read on to find out why.Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.

Design Standards

Blur Studio is a very simple app, but one that looks like something Apple would have made. It allows you to choose photos from Flickr, take a picture, or import one from your library to get started, but if you just want a simple and beautiful wallpaper, it’d be hard to go wrong with the demo they provide.

While other apps simply offer a toggle that allows you to blur a background, Blur Studio goes quite a bit further and makes the whole thing a much more involving process. The different photo effects and processes are easily navigable on the bottom of the screen, and the iconography is simply gorgeous.

This is the first step.

The buttons, which are more like thin glyphs, are white, but easily legible against darker or vibrant and colourful backgrounds (what the app is clearly made for). Sadly, the buttons don’t hold up as well on white backgrounds. The app isn’t smart enough to test the hexagonal value of a colour and change the glyph colour accordingly, which is a shame because I’ve encountered situations where they’re virtually impossible to see.

When they are visible, which actually happens most of the time, I suspect you’ll be pleasantly surprised by most of the functionality. The main Blur tool works exactly as you’d think it would. You adjust an onscreen slider from left to right to increase or decrease the blur on a photo. The button with three circles in it allows you to apply a different filter to your photos, with each filter lovingly made to look similar to its corresponding colour on an iPhone 5c (that’s what I call smart attention to detail). If you have an iPhone 5c, I guarantee this app is going to make your wallpapers amazing.

Step 2.

The onscreen Home button reveals what your home screen would look like if you were using it with the picture you’ve been editing. I love that touch. Think of it like an in-app preview for the photo. The check mark, of course, will save the image to your Camera Roll, but if you slide to the right you’ll get another couple options. Namely, there’s an optional slider for Saturation (it sits beneath the Blur slider, which is obvious thanks to a great animation), a Share Sheet for sharing your edited photos on social media, and a brief Settings menu.

Step three: apply a filter.

When you’re done editing your photo, nine times out of ten, you have beautiful results that really make a home screen sing. This means the app works as advertised, but I also think it’s a slight problem.

The Problems

Of course, I’m not about to write a review if I’m not prepared to talk about some of the flaws with this whole setup. First of all, as I mentioned, I’m not a fan of the white glyphs on a white background. They look awful, if they’re visible at all, and that’s a serious problem.

Step four: adjust saturation.

The app also does have a small problem with communication. The Saturation slider is great, but it has zero labelling. While it’s obvious to me that I’m saturating an image, I’m not sure it’d be obvious to everybody. If I pass my phone off to a friend, would he or she automatically know how to use the interface? They wouldn’t, and that makes this feel a little counterintuitive.

But finally, the real problem (as I briefly alluded to above) is pretty simple: either iOS 7 looks better with blurred backgrounds, or you’re going to lose a sense of individuality with your wallpapers now. This is clearly a first world problem, but neither solution is entirely preferable.

You can even test how it’d look on a stock iOS 7 home screen.

If the problem is that photos need to be blurred to look their best as home screen wallpapers, then that fault lies with Apple and not with the user. In that case, Blur Studio is exactly the app you need. But I beg to argue that photos don’t have to be blurry to look amazing as iPhone wallpapers on iOS 7. I’ve been cycling through different photos for month, all of them from my own personal collection — nature shots and concerts I’ve been to, mostly — and nearly all of them have looked incredible.

The big design problem: good luck making out white glyphs against the white part of the image.

That’s not to say blurring the pictures couldn’t improve my experience with the home screen, but I’m saying that it’s not necessary to do so. In fact, in doing so, I would occasionally be robbing the photos of their values as stories. Right now, I have two pictures from a concert I went to set as wallpapers. My lock screen is a desaturated picture of a bassist in the de fact rocker’s pose. My home screen is a vibrant photo of the band’s lead singer, the whole picture draped in the blue lights of the stage. The singer’s got one hand in the air with the devil horns raised, and I just happened to catch the perfect moment where it looks like he’s staring right at my lens — but I was using a telephoto zoom from the bleachers. Those little things make these pictures cool bragging rights, and valuable personal memories for me. Blur Studio doesn’t offer me the same braggadocio or nostalgia factors. And that, I think, is its most serious flaw.

Blur Away

But that doesn’t change the fact that Blur Studio does a great job at blurring photos. Just like it advertises, and in fact, the best on the App Store. But it’s a frivolity that you might not necessarily need. If you’re okay with that, then I have no problems recommending it — it’s a well-crafted app with good intentions. But despite that, it’s hard to recommend it for everybody.

This is one app purchase where I would say you likely already know what camp you life in — pure or filtered photos — and you can choose accordingly. But if you’re going to go with an app to blur photos, make it Blur Studio. It really is the best.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/utilities/blur-studio-perfect-ios-7-wallpapers-every-time/feed/Nathan SnelgroveSnap Better Photos with Camera Plushttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3519d097/sc/5/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Csnap0Ebetter0Ephotos0Ewith0Ecamera0Eplus0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Camera_plus_icon.png" alt="" /> Camera apps are among the most popular on the App Store. From social networks based upon photos to simple apps that make collages, all types of activities that are based on photos are active pieces of the market. Most of these apps rely upon Apple&#8217;s own Camera app for the photo itself. This isn&#8217;t surprising [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3519d097/sc/5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/sc/5/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/sc/5/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/sc/5/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842046436/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3519d097/a2t.img" border="0"/>PhotographypicturephotoReviewsLifestylepicturessnapshotPhotoscameraSun, 22 Dec 2013 13:00:44 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/snap-better-photos-with-camera-plus/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49712Camera apps are among the most popular on the App Store. From social networks based upon photos to simple apps that make collages, all types of activities that are based on photos are active pieces of the market.

Most of these apps rely upon Apple’s own Camera app for the photo itself. This isn’t surprising — the native Camera app is utterly fantastic in almost any condition, as Apple has taken its time to optimize in every possible way. Camera Plus — note the word “Plus,” not the symbol — takes on Apple’s solution, as well as all other competitors.

An Alternative Camera App?

Camera Plus is more powerful than what Apple ships on the iPhone, though certain functions don’t appear to be possible. Camera Plus is able to overlay certain features and a fantastic design on Apple’s camera stack, but the ability to minutely control specific aspects of the how the camera works and functions just aren’t here. Keep that in mind when I say that Camera Plus is “powerful;” that word is certainly relative, and anyone with experience with a DSLR and the ability to operate it may be disappointed if their expectations aren’t set at an appropriate level.

The capture screen of Camera Plus is simple, but powerful.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get down to business. What is the iPhone best at, when it comes to snapping photos? Apple has optimized the iPhone for quick shots, particularly in iOS 7, where many different processes and tasks take place in the background in order to produce the most visually-appealing photo.

The downside of these background processes is that it removes what controls the iPhone’s hardware can provide. Camera Plus attempts to give you back this control in the form of charming gestures and taps, while also maintaining the high level of functionality that Apple provides.

More features are available in a pop-over menu. These make Camera Plus significantly more useful.

Camera Plus is a complete replacement for iOS’ stock app. Every feature that that app has, minus the square photos and live filters, are included in Camera Plus, and then some.

The Features

My favorite feature is probably the level, which makes it easy to tell when the horizon — or any other flat surface — is actually level in a picture. The ability to ensure that my photos are level is fantastic; frankly, Apple should just rip this idea from Camera Plus and stick into the stock app, because that’s how great it is.

Camera Plus also includes the four-thirds grid, which is handy, but won’t magically turn you into a professional photographer.

The “Lumy” slider lets you quickly edit the brightness level in a photo. It’s handy to have, particularly in places where the iPhone would tend to overexpose pictures, but it won’t ever truly compensate for a lack of light. It can produce better-looking photos in certain cases, so I give it two thumbs up. It also gives the user more control over each photo, and I’m a fan of that.

Camera Plus has some basic functionality to try and lock focus on a specific area. Tapping and holding anywhere on the view will bring up options for macro, normal, and far. Tapping one of these will tell the app that you want it to focus on that area.

It works, though I find the tapping-and-holding aspect of it to be somewhat clunky and difficult, particularly when trying to use it quickly.

Other options include the ability to overlay text on to photos. The editing capabilities can be fairly powerful, however.

The app does have other features, and these are hidden in a pop-over view. These options include: Big Button, which lets you tap anywhere to take a photo; Stabilize, which uses the accelerometer and gyroscope to try and compensate for any movement; Burst, which takes multiple shots quickly; and, finally, Timer, which allows you to take set the app to take a photo after anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds.

Additionally, you can opt to geotag photos, set the resolution, and decide whether or not you want the volume buttons to take a photo.

Quick note: Camera Plus also supports video recording, meaning that it can fully take over iOS’ stock camera app. The grid and level are still present, though the options in the pop-over are not present.

Camera Plus allows you to share to various social networks directly from the app. Tap and share — it’s much faster than going to each individual app.

All of these features work, and work well — most alternative camera apps try to fit every feature possible, but those features rarely work in terms of execution. Camera Plus is able to deliver with every major feature it touts.

Viewing Pictures

Included with the app is its very own photo viewer. Again, it covers the basics — sharing, though Camera Plus can share to services other than Messages, Facebook, and Twitter — but it also moves into other territory. Editing capabilities are excellent. Individual settings (brightness, temperature, saturation, etc.) can be tweaked from within the app.

The “Lumy” brightness adjustment bar, seen on the right, works, though it won’t compensate for a simple lack of light.

Camera Plus also moves in on the Instagrams of the world, as it has recently gained filters. Go crazy with preset options such as “Mistiq” and “Selfie.” Maybe you’re feeling more like “PurpIX” on this fine day?

Adding stylized text is also possible. I most joke — these are the features expected of a photo app these days. Frankly, Camera Plus brings a lot of class to this crowded market, and I found myself enjoying these things far more than I probably should. The app also includes a “Pix’d” feature, which adjusts photos to look better. I found this feature to be fairly accurate, though there were times that I didn’t see any improvement in using it.

I did run into some strange slow-downs while using this part of the app. Scrolling through the photos or editing features would randomly lag, even if Camera Plus was the only app running on my iPhone 5S.

New App, Better Photos?

What’s the point of an alternative camera app if it doesn’t enable you to take better photos? Let’s remember, first, that Apple’s app is inescapable. It will find you, whether you want to take a photo from the lock screen, or if you’re simply taking a picture to send to some friends by way of iMessage. Thanks to its prime location, Apple’s APIs, and the inability of third-party apps to be selected as the default option, you will find yourself using the camera app that was pre-installed on your iPhone.

Better photos? How can you argue with results like these? All joking aside, Camera Plus is a fantastically competent app, and is the leader in this category.

In my testing of Camera Plus, it has made its way to the dock of my iPhone, finally conquering the space of the default camera app. This is a feat which hasn’t been done since I began using an iPhone. I do believe that Camera Plus is “better:” the level alone makes my photos seem more professional. I also find that the stabilize option does work reliably.

With that in mind, do I recommend Camera Plus? Yes, absolutely, but to a specific group of people. I find that Camera Plus works best when you want to take a moment and capture a photograph. If you’re more interested in snapping a quick picture to send off to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, Camera Plus is probably overkill. The editing and viewing features of Camera Plus are very, very nice, but the highlight is the extra set of features in the app. To me — and many others, I imagine — that highlight is very bright.

]]>0http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/snap-better-photos-with-camera-plus/feed/Jonathan KizerRadium: Beautiful Internet Radiohttp://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3515becc/sc/21/l/0Liphone0Bappstorm0Bnet0Creviews0Cmusic0Cradium0Ebeautiful0Einternet0Eradio0C/story01.htm<img src="http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/iphone/files/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-14-at-2.33.06-AM.png" alt="" /> I’m a huge music geek. I run a music blog, have over 10,000 songs in my iTunes library, and am always listening to new music on Rdio. Despite all that, though, I still find the music discovery process to be a really difficult and involving thing. I’m subscribed to email lists, I follow a bunch [...]<img width='1' height='1' src='http://mac.appstorm.net.feedsportal.com/c/35228/f/663450/s/3515becc/sc/21/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/sc/21/rc/1/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/sc/21/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/sc/21/rc/2/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/sc/21/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/sc/21/rc/3/rc.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/sc/21/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/></a><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/184842011201/u/49/f/663450/c/35228/s/3515becc/a2t.img" border="0"/>Musicinternet radiotalk radioRadioRadiummusic streamingSat, 21 Dec 2013 19:00:17 GMThttp://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/music/radium-beautiful-internet-radio/#commentshttp://iphone.appstorm.net/?p=49864I’m a huge music geek. I run a music blog, have over 10,000 songs in my iTunes library, and am always listening to new music on Rdio. Despite all that, though, I still find the music discovery process to be a really difficult and involving thing. I’m subscribed to email lists, I follow a bunch of bands on Facebook, and I use whatever services I can to keep up with new releases (surprisingly, Wikipedia is amazing for that).

Internet radio is one of those things that could be a great tool for music discovery if it had the right app to go with it, though. And Radium is exactly that right app. It’s been recently updated for iOS 7 and is one of the best audio experiences you can have on the platform. Read on to find out why this is a must-try.

Internet Radio Galore

I wish I knew where I could find a list of all the different stations that Radium includes, but I have no idea where to look. Frankly, I have no idea where to begin. Since the music and radio portions of the app are most important, I’m going to spend a good amount of time here talking about my experiences with those.

This app looks beautiful.

First, the sheer number is overwhelming. There’s a reason it’s easy to mark a station as a favourite for easy access — it’s because it’s going to be difficult to find it again.

That being said, finding a station is really easy. I was in the mood for some indie, so that was what I selected for. This was my first experience with Radium, and I continued to listen to some more stations after that. I had no problem finding some amazing music content, none of which I’d ever heard — and I think I’ve heard my fair share of music!

The app’s tutorial shows you how easy it is to find new stations to listen to.

More impressive to me, though, is the quality of all the stations themselves. Not only did I not feel like I was overrun by advertising — ads were pretty infrequent — but the pure quality of the stations wowed me. If I had to guess, I’d imagine they’re probably running at about 192kb/s. They sound very, very high-quality to me.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. They could be running at a much lower bit rate than that, but I would never know. I don’t think anybody could know, and it’s likely station-dependent, so we’re not going to have an answer any time soon. Regardless, as a whole, everything sounded stellar and I have zero complaints.

There’s integration with some other popular radio providers.

It’s worth noting, of course, that this isn’t just about music. It’s as easy to find talk shows as it is to find music on the app, so if you’re the sort of person who can’t get enough podcasts or news updates, this could very well be the app for you.

There are some bizarre choices made in the app, though. For example, there’s no easy way to sort through genres of music or talk radio. Everything is done by search, which means that the app half-embraces browsing, but half-doesn’t. I’d like to see a list of genres somewhere, but have no idea how they’d fit it into the interface. Speaking of which…

The Design

Despite that, the interface is simply stunning. I mean, this is one of the best interfaces for music that I’ve seen on an iPhone. It’s simple and elegant, but also extremely powerful — especially considering that this is “just” Internet radio. Before I start sounding like Jony Ive in an Apple commercial, let me walk you through a couple little touches I really like.

I love the way the app changes with the cover art.

The big thing for me is the cover art. Not unlike iTunes on your Mac or PC, the cover art in Radium has an effect on the rest of the app. The colours all match. In actuality, Radium does a better job than iTunes does. These colours are spot-on, and they look amazing.

Sadly, the colour matching doesn’t carry over to the lock screen. There’s no way it could; after all, there are significant barriers to an app getting total control of the lock screen in iOS, but that would have been pretty neat. Regardless, the information about the track you’re listening to does appear on the lock screen, so it’s easy to find out more about the song at a glance.

It’s easy to purchase a song or add it to your wish list.

Because it’s Internet radio, all that information is readily available to the app. Even better, Radium has figured out a way to integrate it with iTunes and Last.fm. You can love a track on Last.fm or purchase it in iTunes. If you’re like me, you might just want to add it to a Wish List. You can do that too, and it syncs with your iTunes Wish List just like you’d expect.

Speaking of syncing, the app also delivers iCloud syncing of your favourite radio stations with the Mac app, which is a great reason to get both. I don’t listen to a ton of music at my desktop, so I haven’t got the app, but I can appreciate Radium going the extra mile.

There are a couple things that I wish Radium did do. I wish that it integrated with other apps and services, like Spotify or Rdio. I wish that there was some way to display lyrics, but I’m not sure how that would work without the service becoming tacky.

I do wish that there was a list of genres instead of just making me search for things.

My biggest wish list item is definitely the integration with other services. I’d love to be able to find an artist, album, or song in Rdio, or even just add a track to my Queue in the service. These are deeply integrated parts of the API of Rdio (I don’t use Spotify, so I can’t comment on it), so they’d likely be more difficult to implement than I could imagine, but it would make my year if it could happen.

My Final Recommendation

I have to say this: I recommend a service like Radium over a service like iTunes Radio any day of the week. iTunes Radio is all about presenting something you’ll probably like in an effort to make you purchase it, while Radium is all about expanding your musical palette and your boundaries. And that’s Radium’s greatest strength: I heard more music from artists I didn’t know in an hour of using Radium than I did in a month of using services like Rdio. That’s not even mentioning the sheer quality of these stations, which is so much better than anything I grew up listening to locally.

The bottom line is that Radium is an amazing iPhone app that any music geek should pick up. Right now, it’s free on iPhone, but I think it’s worth a lot more than that and an absolute steal if you can grab it now. Radium is the Internet radio I’ve always wished I had.